New Delhi, March 15 (UNI) Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday took a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the announcement of the 2026 assembly election schedule by the Election Commission of India, alleging that the Model Code of Conduct has been reduced to what he termed “Modi’s Code of Campaigning.”
The poll panel is scheduled to announce the election schedule for the legislative assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal at a press conference in New Delhi at 4 PM.
In a post on X, Ramesh wrote, “The Election Commission will announce the schedule for the 2026 assembly elections at 4 PM today. It would have been given the go-ahead by the G2, since G1 would have completed this round of inaugurations, ribbon-cuttings, flag-offs, and launches.”
He further criticised the functioning of the Model Code of Conduct, saying, “The Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct will soon come into effect. But since 2014 this has come to stand for Modi’s Code of Campaigning — which will be full of defamation, abuses, intimidation, fear-mongering, and spreading the virus of lies.”
The Model Code of Conduct, enforced by the Election Commission once the poll schedule is announced, lays down guidelines for political parties and candidates to ensure free and fair elections by regulating campaign conduct, government announcements and use of official machinery.
Assembly elections in the five states are expected to witness intense political competition among national and regional parties.
The previous round of elections in 2021 saw the All India Trinamool Congress retain power in West Bengal, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam form the government in Tamil Nadu, the Left Democratic Front return to power in Kerala, and the Bharatiya Janata Party emerge victorious in Assam, while a coalition government led by the All India N R Congress took office in Puducherry.
