The Election Commission of India (ECI) has sought a response from the Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for using a child in an assembly election campaign video on its X handle. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Haryana has issued a show cause notice to the BJP state president for immediate corrective action.
“The BJP state president has also been asked to respond by 6 pm on August 29,” news agency ANI said. The campaign video, showing a child with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, was shared on X on August 27.
The Election Commission of India has taken seriously a post on the handle X of Haryana BJP, using a child in an election campaign video, which is in violation of ECI guidelines prohibiting the use of children in election related activities and campaigning.
Show cause notice has been issued by CEO… pic.twitter.com/uwB6NPr8k2
– ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2024
Voting for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held in a single phase on October 1.
The Election Commission of India has banned the use of children in election campaigning. In February, the Election Commission said it had issued instructions to political parties to refrain from using children in election campaigning, adding that it would take a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to the issue.
The Election Commission of India has issued strict guidelines regarding the use of children in any election-related activities. Political parties have been advised not to use children in any form for election campaigning, whether it is distributing posters/pamphlets, raising slogans, participating in campaign rallies, election meetings, etc,” the Election Commission said in a statement.
In a 36-second video shared on Haryana BJP’s x handle, several children are seen with the chief minister. The video begins with a child saying, ‘Ab ki baar Haryana mein Saini sarkar’, followed by several videos in which Saini is seen with different children.
In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 40 seats in Haryana and formed a coalition government with the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party, which had won 10 seats in the 90-member assembly. BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar became the chief minister.
The BJP-JJP alliance broke down earlier this year. Khattar has since been in the central government, where he is a minister in the cabinet led by PM Narendra Modi. Khattar was replaced by Nayab Singh Saini who took oath as chief minister in June this year.
