The Congress has urged the Election Commission to enforce the model code of conduct immediately in Punjab, alleging that the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance was misusing the official machinery in the run-up to the Assembly polls.
In a complaint to the Election Commission on Sunday, Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt. Amarinder Singh said the possibility of a free and fair election was becoming ‘remote’ because of the government’s ‘failure’ to abide by the Election Commission’s directives.
“Despite your explicit instructions to check the police-criminal nexus and end the misuse of official machinery..., the government continues to indulge in such activities that would negate the possibility of a fair and free election,” it said.
Capt. Amarinder Singh cited the induction of 100 mobile vans by the government for its health awareness campaign as an instance of misuse.
“The situation is progressively deteriorating, and calls for stiff and stern action by the Election Commission to ensure that the polls can be held with some modicum of fairness,” he said.
