After TMC complaint, EC says remove PM’s photo from Covid jab certificate

The Ministry was instructed to implement the instructions with regard to the vaccination certificates being distributed in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.

The EC’s decision came after the Health Ministry, in its reply to the panel, said the vaccination drive was an ongoing government initiative that had started much before the MCC came into force a week ago.

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To comply with the EC’s direction, the Health Ministry will now have to update its software to introduce a filter that would mask the PM’s picture on the certificate, sources said.

The EC has in the past forbidden the use of the PM’s picture on posters and official websites of government schemes during elections. During the 2017 elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, the Commission had asked the Cabinet Secretary to remove images of Modi and the then Urban Development Minister from the website of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

The TMC had approached the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer to complain that the use of PM’s photo was a “blatant misuse of official machinery” and violated the MCC.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi happens to be the star campaigner of the BJP in these Assembly elections. He is seeking support for his party during rallies. In this situation, using his photo in vaccination certificates is akin to influencing voters, and violates the model code of conduct,” West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim had told reporters after meeting election officials in Kolkata on Wednesday.