Code of conduct comes into effect after poll notification

POLL POT

When does the model code of conduct become operative and why is it so important? This has turned into a subject of raging debate after the Chief Election Commissioner asked the government not to spend public money on election-related activity.

When the government tells the President it has decided to go in for elections, it turns into a caretaker government.

We now know that the Prime Minister does not have to resign to lapse into becoming a caretaker Prime Minister""Attorney-General Soli Sorabjee has already made it clear that the Prime Minister, if he is in control of a majority government, does not have to resign.

But, in its caretaker capacity, the government can announce no major policy measures, make no important appointments and in fact, might have a brief meeting of Cabinet to clear unavoidable pending decisions.

"The government is not accountable to Parliament once the Lok Sabha is dissolved, which is why it is not permitted to take decisions it cannot uphold in Parliament," Congress leader Anand Sharma said.

But the model code of conduct, that bars the government from deploying public funds to highlight its achievements, comes into force only from the day the election schedule is announced by the Election Commission.

From this day, cost of campaigning has to be borne by the political party so as to give all parties a level playing field and to prevent the government from misusing its position and resources.

According to government sources, the Election Commission may announce the poll schedule on February 18. Once this happens, political parties will have to bear the cost of advertisements, hoardings and publicity.

The upper limit for election spending""which the poll panel has warned, will be imposed strictly""will come into force from that day.

All travel, publicity and election-related activity will be adjusted against the upper limit of Rs 25 lakh for a candidate contesting the Lok Sabha election. The meter starts running from the date poll schedules are announced.