No time limit prescribed in MCC to release election manifesto: EC

After the Congress party raised questions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for releasing its manifesto a day before phase one of the Gujarat polls, the Election Commission of India (EC) has cleared that there is no time limit prescribed in the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to release an election manifesto.

"Under the extant provisions, there is no time limit prescribed in the MCC to release election manifesto by political parties. No instruction of the Commission is issued in this regard," the statement by the EC read.

The statement further reads, "The Commission is of considered view that due to multi-fold expansion of digital and electronic media,the extant MCC, Section 126 of the R.P Act, 1951 and other related provisions require revisiting to cater to the requirements and challenges of the present and emerging situations."

A day before voting in the first phase of Assembly polls in Gujarat, the ruling BJP had released its manifesto, promising an inclusive development in the state.

The BJP's poll manifesto was released after Congress President Rahul Gandhi and party leader Ahmed Patel slammed the ruling party in Gujarat for not bringing out its manifesto before the polling.

The state saw aggressive campaigning from the Congress Party and the BJP, both leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory.

Gujarat has a total number of 182 Assembly seats and the polling was held in two phases on December 9 and 14.

The counting of votes will take place on Monday.