Over 28K defacements removed after announcement of assembly elections in J&K

Jammu, Aug 21 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir Election Department has removed over 28,000 defacements within 72 hours following announcement of the assembly elections in the Union Territory, an official said.

With the announcement of the assembly elections on August 16, the Election Commission had issued directions for the effective enforcement of provisions of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Taking the Election Commission’s directives regarding the implementation of the MCC after the announcement of the elections into consideration, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P K Pole directed the enforcement wing of the department to remove all wall-writing, posters, banners or defacement in any other form on the government properties and others in no time.

Acting swiftly, the enforcement wing removed as many as 28,636 defacements, including 1,837 wall-writing, 9,276 posters and 5,661 banners across Jammu and Kashmir within 72 hours from the announcement of election, a statement from the CEO’s office said.

The action was aimed at ensuring that no political advertisement at the cost of public exchequer be displayed prominently in the government, public and private properties during the MCC restricted period, the statement said.

Pole said the election department is committed to work in tandem with all stakeholders to ensure level-playing field for all contestants during the MCC-restricted period.