Even as the Election Commission’s instructions are clear that the premises of educational institutions should not be used for political campaigns, the BJP managed to get permission for its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, to address a rally on the campus of a private college here on Sunday.
Though Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa addressed an election meeting on the same campus on March 4, it was a day before the model code of conduct came into effect.
The handbook for candidates and the checklist for police officers published by the Election Commission on its official website say educational institutions, including their grounds, whether government aided, private or government, should not be used for campaigns and rallies.
Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Kumar said permission was given to another party on an earlier occasion, and hence the Returning Officer, in this case, would have approved the BJP’s request. “The rules cannot be restricted to one political party…,” he said.
