NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday extended the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) restrictions to retired public officials engaged or re-employed by state governments in five states scheduled to hold assembly elections next year.In a letter to the chief secretaries and chief electoral officers of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the commission said such officials must maintain political neutrality and refrain from participating in election campaigns or canvassing for political parties or candidates.
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“The Commission has in the past, in respect of the conduct of government employees, issued instructions stating that they are not expected to take part in any election campaign or canvassing and should take scrupulous care not to lend their names, official position or authority to assist one individual/political party/group as against another,” the letter said.The commission noted that several retired government officials and employees are engaged, attached, employed or re-employed by state and Union Territory governments in various capacities, but there are no specific rules or guidelines governing their political neutrality and conduct during the MCC period.Assembly elections are due in all five states in 2027, with polling expected in February-March. The terms of the Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand assemblies end in March, while the Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s term expires in May.