The Election Commission on Wednesday issued two notices to Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra for two advertisements - one in which voters were asked to call a number to receive certain benefits and another that appeared as a masthead on a newspaper. Acting on complaints by the BJP, the EC said these advertisements had violated the Model Code of Conduct and sought In one of the notices, the EC said the Congress’ advertisement in Dainik Bhaskar on November 20 was placed at the top of the page, i.e. the masthead or “sky bus”, with the words “Rajasthan mein Congress ki leher [A Congress wave in Rajasthan]”. “The advertisements referred in the complaint fails to adhere to the standards expected from a national party. It appears that the advertisement has been designed to look like a news item with the view to disorient the electors. It is not only misleading but also seems aimed at causing a confusion in the minds of the voters regarding the outcome of the election, thereby attempting to disturb the level playing field. The EC said this was a violation of the “spirit of the RP Act, 1951 and MCC, both designed to ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders”. The Rajasthan Congress president was asked to respond by 3pm on Thursday. In the second notice, the EC said the BJP complaint alleged that the Congress advertisement in Rajasthan Patrika, The Indian Express and social media platform X asked voters to call a particular number to register for certain “guarantees”. “Ex facie, inviting individual elector to register himself or herself, appears to be designed to create an impression of requirement of one to one relationship between elector and proposed benefit or electoral promise,” the EC said. The notice said while general electoral promises are permitted, specific and “transactional” inducements to electors are prohibited under the MCC. The EC said the advertisement was prima facie a violation of the MCC and asked Dotasra to respond by 7pm on Friday.
