‘Undermined Level Playing Field’: Over 700 Activists Allege MCC Violation In PM Modi's Address To Nation

Last Updated:April 21, 2026, 10:42 IST

The letter urged the poll panel to take cognisance of the issue, examine the content and manner of the address and initiate appropriate action.

Over 700 citizens, including former civil servants, academics, activists, and journalists, have written to the Election Commission of India alleging violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the nation on April 18.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner on April 20, the activists claimed that the Prime Minister’s address on Women’s Reservation Bill amounted to “electioneering and partisan propaganda" during the MCC period. They also demanded an inquiry

The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is currently in force in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, where voting was held on April 9, Tamil Nadu (polling on April 23) and West Bengal (polling on April 23 and 29). Votes will be counted for all these assembly elections on May 4.

In the complaint, the signatories claimed that amid the ongoing Assembly elections, the Prime Minister used official government machinery and mass media for “electioneering and partisan propaganda", in violation of the code in force.

They also pointed out that PM Modi’s address was broadcast live on official government mass media platforms, which are funded by the public exchequer.

“Such action provides an undue advantage to the party in power and undermines the level playing field essential for free and fair elections," it stated, citing provisions of the code. It highlighted that the party in power must not use official position, government transport, personnel, or combine official visits with campaign activities for electoral gain.

“The national address in question was delivered by the Prime Minister in his official capacity and was broadcast using official mass media at public expense. It thereby violated the explicit prohibition contained in clauses 1(a), 1(b) and 4 of Section VII of the Model Code of Conduct," the letter stated.

The CPM and the CPI had submitted a similar complaint to the panel on Sunday.

The letter urged the poll panel to take cognisance of the issue, examine the content and manner of the address and initiate appropriate action. It also called for equal airtime on public broadcasters for other political parties if prior permission had been granted for the telecast.

Who Are The Signatories?

Among the signatories are former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, political economist Parakala Prabhakar, activist Yogendra Yadav, economist Jayati Ghosh, musician-author T M Krishna, former Union secretary E A S Sarma, activist Harsh Mander, journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, academic Zoya Hasan and former ambassador Madhu Bhaduri.

Others include transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj, former civil servants Ashish Joshi, Amitabha Pande, and Avay Shukla, journalists John Dayal and Vidya Subrahmaniam and CPI leader Annie Raja along with several academics, lawyers and social activists.

What Was In PM Modi’s Address?

In his address to the nation on April 18, PM Modi described the Nari Shakti initiative as a “great yajna" aimed at empowering women in the 21st century. He also accused the Congress and its allies of spreading false information regarding the delimitation process, alleging that misleading narratives were being used to create confusion among the public.

He said that the amendment was designed to grant women their long-pending rights, delayed for decades, beginning with the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

The address came a day after a key women’s reservation bill failed to pass in Parliament. The Lok Sabha witnessed a heated debate on Friday over the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposed increasing the total number of seats from 543 to 816.

(With inputs from agencies)

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