Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 20 March 2024
Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a set of comprehensive guidelines to regulate road shows during the General Elections-2024. With the Model Code of Conduct now in force, these instructions aim to ensure smooth conduct of road shows while minimising inconvenience to the general public and commuters.
Outlined below are the key instructions issued by the Election Commission:
1. Prior Permission Requirement: Political parties and candidates are required to obtain prior permission for conducting road shows from the competent authority.
2. Timing and Route Restrictions: Road shows should, as far as possible, subject to court orders and local laws, be scheduled on holidays or during non-peak hours. Additionally, routes other than those with significant establishments such as hospitals, trauma centres, blood banks, and heavily crowded markets should be preferred.
3. Advance Intimation of Participants: The number of vehicles and persons participating in the road show must be intimated in advance to the relevant authorities.
4. Road Width Limitation: To ensure the safety of the general public, road shows should not occupy more than half the width of the road.
5. Convoy Management: Convoy of vehicles in the road show must be broken after every 10 vehicles, with a gap of 100 meters maintained between each segment.
6. Safety: Safety of the public and participants shall be ensured. Activities such as bursting firecrackers and carrying firearms are strictly prohibited.
7. Banner Size Limitation: Banners carried by hand should not exceed the size of 6×4 feet.
8. Loudspeaker Usage: The use of loudspeakers is allowed in accordance with existing ECI instructions and subject to local laws and court orders.
9. Animal Display Ban & Restriction on Participation of Children: Display of animals during road shows is prohibited, and children, especially school children in uniform should not take part in road show.
10. Flag Protocol: Only one flag, with dimensions of 1 ft x ½ ft, is permitted on campaign vehicles, subject to permission from the relevant Returning Officer.
Adherence to these instructions is mandatory for all political parties and candidates to prevent any inconvenience to the general public. These guidelines seek to ensure the smooth conduct of road shows while upholding safety and regulatory standards during the electoral process.