Jharkhand Assembly Polls 2024 | Congress released manifesto violating poll code, says Chief Electoral Officer

Ranchi: Jharkhand's Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said on Wednesday that the Congress released its manifesto for the Assembly polls in violation of the model code of conduct, and a report regarding this has been submitted to the Election Commission.

The Congress released its manifesto on Tuesday, a day before the first phase of polling in the state.

It promised 250 units of free electricity, a caste-based census and the filling up of all vacant government posts within a year.

The state BJP had lodged a complaint with the EC, seeking action against the Congress and JMM for releasing their manifestos during the silent period.

"We have sent a detailed report to the EC. Our report also states that the manifesto was released violating the Representation of People Act," Kumar said.

The state Congress, however, denied having violated the model code of conduct.

Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha said, "We don't think it is a violation of the election norms. We released it in our office."

On the JMM manifesto, the officer said, "We have sought a report in this regard from the district election officer of Ranchi."

The ruling JMM released its manifesto on Monday, promising 33 per cent reservation for women in state government jobs.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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