It is good that the Election Commission has alerted the political parties even before the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct so that their unnecessary statements can be monitored and action can be taken against those breaking the rules, but the only challenge before it is this. . Its purpose is not merely to prevent violations of language norms. Apart from this, a big challenge is how to stop the voters from taking votes by quietly distributing money.
It cannot be ignored that for some time now the trend of getting votes by distributing money has been increasing. The proof of this is that the recovery of money distributed to voters during the election campaign is increasing. Crores of rupees are seized by the Election Commission during the election campaign, but one can understand that a major part of such money will not be captured by it. It is also not hidden from anyone that a large number of candidates spend more money on their campaign than the fixed election expenses.
Candidates can show on paper that they have spent money within the prescribed limit for election campaign, but everyone knows that this is usually not the case. The truth is that whether in the elections of Assembly or Lok Sabha, much more money is spent in them than the fixed amount. This is the reason why contesting elections is no longer within the reach of the common man.
There was a time when along with muscle power, the role of money power was also seen in elections. With time, Bahubali has been controlled to a great extent, but the role of money power is increasing. Even muscle power has not been stopped in Bengal. The Election Commission will have to prove to be more active and strict.
The problem is that the Election Commission is not able to take any strict action against those who violate the Model Code of Conduct during elections. This is because it does not have the proper permissions. A few days ago, the Election Commission had warned star campaigners and candidates of political parties not to use religious places during the election campaign.
Of course it should be so, but it is also true that in some parts of the country, either religious places are used or the help of religious gurus is taken.