Congress leaders meet Election Commission; flag violation of model code of conduct in Andhra Pradesh by Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party

Complaint was raised by Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y. S. Sharmila. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Based on a complaint raised by the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y. S. Sharmila, a delegation of Congress leaders including Salman Khurshid, Pavan Khera and others met the Election Commission of India (ECI) and brought to his notice what they alleged as “blatant breach of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in Andhra Pradesh.”

The leaders drew the ECI’s attention to the fact that the various government schemes, communication channels and material pertaining to the government still bear the photographs of the Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. “We have requested the ECI to ensure that the existing schemes continued to reach the beneficiaries. We have also brought to the notice of the ECI and the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh had earlier issued orders preventing implementation of new schemes by the caretaker government in Andhra Pradesh,” Ms. Sharmila posted on ‘X’.

She tagged a thread of the conversation of the Congress leaders with the media after meeting the ECI. Mr. Khursheed said the party did not have any issue with continuation of the old schemes in Andhra Pradesh, but the photographs of the Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy should be removed from the related material. He said the EC, in response to their plea, had informed them that a directive to this effect had already been issued. But if anyone comes across such cases, they should bring it to its notice and that it would act against it.

The senior Congress leader said the ECI had also made it clear that neither any new scheme should be introduced and nor new beneficiaries should be added to the existing schemes, as it would be in violation of the model code of conduct.