Based on a complaint raised by the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y. S. Sharmila, a delegation of Congress leaders, including Salman Khurshid and Pavan Khera, met the Chief Election Commissioner and brought to his notice what they alleged as “blatant breach of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in Andhra Pradesh.”
The leaders drew the ECI’s attention to the fact that the various government schemes, communication channels and material pertaining to the government still bear the photographs of the Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. “We have requested the ECI to ensure that the existing schemes continue to reach the beneficiaries. We have also brought to the notice of the ECI that the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh had already issued orders preventing implementation of new schemes by the caretaker government in Andhra Pradesh,” Ms. Sharmila posted on X.
She tagged a thread of the conversation of the Congress leaders with the media after meeting the ECI. Mr. Khursheed said the party did not have any issue with continuation of the old schemes in Andhra Pradesh, but the photographs of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy should be removed from the related material. He said the ECI, in response to their plea, had informed that a directive to this effect had already been issued. But if anyone came across such cases, they should bring it to its notice, and that it would act against it.
The senior Congress leader said the ECI had also made it clear that neither any new scheme should be introduced nor new beneficiaries added to the existing schemes, as it would be in violation of the MCC.
