Council polls: Election official ask parties to respect decision to hold meetings at common platform

Shillong, Feb 4: Commissioner & Secretary in-charge District Council Affairs department Cyril Diengdoh on Tuesday said the decision of the localities to organize a common platform for election campaigning by political parties and contesting candidates should be respected.

Speaking to media persons, Diengdoh said holding of meetings is being guided by the model code of conduct (MCC) for political parties and candidates for elections to the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) and the same has been circulated to all political parties that for any public meeting, rally or procession, permission of the deputy commissioner or sub-divisional officer is required.

He however said there are certain localities which have decided to have a common platform.

“They (such localities) are permitted to have a common platform because in that common platform, they are giving equal chance to all political parties including independent candidates to come to the common platform and conduct the public meeting. No one is denied. No political party or contesting candidate is denied to have a meeting on a common platform. For that we have clarified that yes if that is the decision of a particular locality, we respect that decision and you can go ahead,” Diengdoh stated.

“The complaint (received recently) was that in certain localities perhaps certain political parties are not given the permission so we have issued an instructions to the DCs to talk to the headmen and all localities saying that in the interest of free and fair election, all political parties including candidates should be given the chance to campaign but of course after taking due permission. If they have decided to have only a common platform and they have decided that is the forum they want to have for the meeting then yes correctly. If they decided they don’t want to have any other meeting apart from the common platform that is permitted because the principle is that they have given an equal chance to all political parties and contesting candidates to take part in that common platform, that should be respected so that everyone gets a chance to address the public,” he added.

Read: Security beefed up for council polls, 2 arrested for bomb scare

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