At a meeting of political parties called by Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar here on Monday in connection with the April 9 parliamentary polls, party representatives crossed swords over government advertisements.
Congress MP Rahman pointed out that after the election was announced, advertisements of both the Center and state governments were still visible in public spaces and on KSRTC and All India Radio buses. He urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to ensure strict monitoring of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) MP AA Rahim urged the Commission to be practical in dealing with the advertisement issue. If the advertisements placed by the state public relations department on KSRTC buses were to face legal action, the central government’s advertisements placed on trains passing through the state should also be covered, he said.
Mr. Kelkar said the EC had issued clear guidelines regarding MCC and these would be followed.
Political parties including the CPI(M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have called for steps to prevent manipulation and irregularities in the preparation of the supplementary voter list. Political parties urged the EC to simplify and ensure a hassle-free process of securing various clearances related to campaigning. The CPI(M) proposed that the home voting facility be extended to bedridden patients to guarantee their right to vote. Given the short time left for the elections, political parties sought clarification on whether nomination papers would be accepted during the holidays. Mr Kelkar replied that he would seek legal advice on the matter. S. Suresh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded steps to ensure that election officials perform their duties without political bias.
Published – 16 March 2026 20:43 IST
