Garg was addressing a joint meeting of the party representatives, electoral returning officers and other concerned officials to apprise them about the directions of the Election Commission at the Bachat Bhavan on Tuesday. Copies of the model code of conduct were also provided during the meeting.

Referring to the code of conduct, Garg said that no party or candidate shall indulge in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic.

Criticism of other parties shall be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work and the candidate shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life.

According to directions, there shall be no appeal to caste or communal feeling for securing votes and religious places shall not be used as a forum for election propaganda. The parties shall avoid corrupt practices and offences under the election law and no political party or candidate shall permit its or his followers to make use of any individual’s land, building, compound wall etc, without permission, for erecting flags-staffs, pasting notices or writing slogans.

The DC added that as per directions of the Election Commission, the political party and candidate shall ensure that their supporters do not create obstructions in or break up meetings and processions organised by other parties.

Processions shall not be taken out by one party along places at which a meeting is already being held by another party. Posters issued by one party shall not be removed by workers of another party.

The party or candidate shall inform the local police authorities of the venue and time of any proposed meeting or procession well in time so that necessary arrangements can be made for controlling the traffic and maintaining peace and order.

A party or candidate shall ascertain in advance if there are any restrictive or prohibitory orders in the place proposed for the meeting. Permission or licence is to be obtained for use of loud speakers or any other facility in connection with a meeting. The party or candidate shall apply to the concerned SDM well in advance.

For processions, the organisers shall ascertain if any restrictive orders are in force in the localities through which the procession has to pass and shall comply with the restrictions unless exempted by the concerned authority.

Any traffic regulation or restriction shall carefully be adhered to and the organisers shall take steps in advance to ensure that there is no hindrance to the flow of traffic.

He said that if two or more political parties or candidates propose to take out a procession over the same route and around the same time, the organisers shall establish contact well in advance and decide upon the measures to be taken to see that the procession does not clash or cause hindrance to traffic.

Garg further stated that ministers shall not combine their official visits with election work and not make use of their official machinery. Public places and guest houses shall not be monopolised and all parties would be allowed to use it equally, but no publicity or meeting will be held in the rest houses.

The DC also said that a committee has been constituted in the district, under the chairmanship of Additional Deputy Commissioner Kuldeep Singh, to implement the code of conduct. The representatives of various political parties and officers would include as members in the committee, Garg added.