Relevance: GS II (Constitutional Bodies & Electoral Process) | Source: The Hindu

1. What is the News?

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the 2026 Assembly Election schedule for Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry. With this, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into effect immediately across these regions.

2. Key Highlights of the Schedule

  • Voting Phases: * April 9: Polling begins in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry.
    • April 23 & 29: West Bengal votes in two phases; Tamil Nadu votes on April 23.
  • The Scale: Over 17.4 crore voters will cast ballots across 824 constituencies.
  • Counting Day: Results will be declared for all seats on May 4, 2026.

3. Concepts Related to Elections

  • Model Code of Conduct (MCC): A set of guidelines to ensure a “level playing field.” It is not a statutory law (not passed by Parliament) but has judicial backing to ensure free and fair elections.
  • Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A pre-election cleanup of electoral rolls to add new voters and remove duplicates, ensuring the “Current” voter count is factually accurate.
  • Article 324: The constitutional source of the ECI’s power to handle the “superintendence, direction, and control” of elections.

The “UPSC Trap”

  • The “Statutory” Trap: UPSC often claims the MCC is part of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. This is incorrect. It is a consensus-based document. However, certain actions under MCC can be punished using the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or the RP Act.
  • The “Commencement” Trap: MCC does not start when nominations are filed; it starts the second the ECI announces the dates in a press conference.

UPSC Value Box

Key Concept Simple Meaning for Exam
Model Code of Conduct Prevents the ruling party from using government resources (like official aircraft or funds) to get an unfair advantage during polls.
By-election An election held to fill a vacancy caused by death, resignation, or disqualification (e.g., under the Anti-Defection Law).

With reference to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the conduct of elections, consider the following statements:

  1. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into operation only from the first day of filing nominations by the candidates.
  2. The power to decide the election schedule for both Parliament and State Assemblies rests solely with the Election Commission of India.
  3. The Model Code of Conduct is a statutory document mandated by the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 2 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

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