New Delhi, Dec 18: The Election Commission (EC) has decided to set up a panel comprising
representatives from Press Council of India and National Broadcaster's
Association among others to suggest amendments to a provision in the election
law barring campaigning 48 hours ahead of polling.
In an order issued on Sunday night, the poll panel said the
proposed committee will have members from the Election Commission, the
Information and Broadcasting Ministry and also from the ministries of Law and IT to examine provisions in the prevailing context of
communication technologies and suggest required changes.
The order comes in the wake of controversies and a series of complaints from Congress and BJP over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's FICCI speech, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's TV interviews in Gujarat and the release of BJP Sankalp Patra by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley -- after campaigning had ended for the crucial Gujarat polls.
It further said the matter will be thereafter taken up with all stakeholders including political parties and media houses for their views and to recommend "appropriate modification" in law and the Commission's instructions.
The Commission also said that the legal opinion provided to the Election Commission advised that in view of the "increasing changes" in technology and media functioning, there should be "another look" at the relevant laws.
"It appears imperative to revisit the provisions relating to the last 48 hours before completion of poll to appropriately address challenges unleashed by fast changing technologies in the context of multi-phase polls," the EC said.
The Congress held noisy protest in Delhi outside the EC main office premises on December 14 and had charged the constitutional body with being partisan. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had gone to the extent of calling the poll panel a "captive puppet" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded actions against BJP leaders and Union Ministers including Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal for their media interactions and statements.
The EC had earlier also ordered lodging of FIRs against TV channels for airing the interview of Rahul Gandhi, a day after poll campaign for the second phase of polling had ended.
A show cause notice served to Rahul Gandhi was withdrawn on Sunday night by the Election Commission. UNI
The order comes in the wake of controversies and a series of complaints from Congress and BJP over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's FICCI speech, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's TV interviews in Gujarat and the release of BJP Sankalp Patra by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley -- after campaigning had ended for the crucial Gujarat polls.
It further said the matter will be thereafter taken up with all stakeholders including political parties and media houses for their views and to recommend "appropriate modification" in law and the Commission's instructions.
The Commission also said that the legal opinion provided to the Election Commission advised that in view of the "increasing changes" in technology and media functioning, there should be "another look" at the relevant laws.
"It appears imperative to revisit the provisions relating to the last 48 hours before completion of poll to appropriately address challenges unleashed by fast changing technologies in the context of multi-phase polls," the EC said.
The Congress held noisy protest in Delhi outside the EC main office premises on December 14 and had charged the constitutional body with being partisan. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had gone to the extent of calling the poll panel a "captive puppet" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded actions against BJP leaders and Union Ministers including Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal for their media interactions and statements.
The EC had earlier also ordered lodging of FIRs against TV channels for airing the interview of Rahul Gandhi, a day after poll campaign for the second phase of polling had ended.
A show cause notice served to Rahul Gandhi was withdrawn on Sunday night by the Election Commission. UNI
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