April 27, 2019:
The Election Commission (EC) has clarified to the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) that BJP cannot sell NaMo products — election merchandise endorsing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election — below market price, The Indian Express has learnt.
The clarification was provided in response to BJP’s application last month seeking permission, under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), to run ‘NaMo Raths’ — merchandise store on wheels — in the capital. The ‘NaMo Raths’ sell products such as t-shirts, pens, badges and masks embellished with messages seeking votes in favour of Modi.
With no clear instructions on whether political parties can run such merchandise stores during election season, the Delhi CEO had forwarded the request to EC for clarification. The Delhi CEO received EC’s response this week.
According to sources, the Commission has said that the political party can run mobile merchandise stores after seeking permission from the relevant municipal authority. Apart from that, EC has also informed Delhi CEO that the products should not be sold below “market price”.
“Candidates and political parties cannot offer freebies to voters as inducement. By market price it was meant that the merchandise should not be sold cheap or for a token amount that, in effect, it’s practically an election freebie,” said a poll officer who did not wish to be identified. The brand Modi merchandise was launched last year. Initially sold through Prime Minister’s mobile application, it is now available on e-commerce platforms.
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