JAMMU, May 5 : Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), received a show-cause notice today for her use of a kid in her political campaign in the Shahdara Sharief region of the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary Constituency, which will hold elections on May 25 for the sixth phase.
A viral video featuring a young girl advocating for Mufti went viral and prompted an official response. Rajeev Kumar Khajuria, Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Rajouri, and the District Nodal Officer for the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) served the notice in response.
The controversy erupted after a viral video surfaced on social media featuring a minor female child making a public appeal to vote for PDP during a political event held on May 1 in Assembly Constituency-87 Thannamandi (ST) constituency.
As per the ADM’s notice served to Mehbooba Mufti, the child was reportedly praised by the PDP chief post her speech, raising questions about the adherence to the Election Commission of India’s guidelines, which strictly prohibit the use of children in electioneering activities. The Election Commission’s revised instructions, issued on February 5, explicitly prohibit the involvement of children in campaigns, including the distribution of materials or participation in rallies.
These guidelines are in alignment with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) standards, which all political parties and their affiliates are mandated to follow.
The notice from the ADM Rajouri comes with a 24-hour ultimatum for Mehbooba Mufti to justify her actions or face possible legal repercussions, including the registration of FIR and a potential ban on her future gatherings in the District during the ongoing election period.
“Explain your position within 24 hours as to why the action under the provisions of ECI norms/guidelines shall not be initiated/recommended against you and for violation of MCC and above cited instructions of ECI, failing which it shall be presumed that you have nothing to say in your defence and action as per ECI norms/guidelines including registration of FIR and imposition of future ban on your public meetings/rallies in the jurisdiction of Rajouri, during the remaining period of this General Election to Lok Sabha 2024, shall be taken against you,” read the notice served by the ADM Rajouri.
Pertinently, this is not the first instance of such allegations against the PDP chief. On April 26, 2024, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took suo moto cognisance of a report alleging that school children were used for campaigning by Mehbooba Mufti in the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary Constituency.
The NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo, in a communication to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, stated that the child rights panel viewed these actions as violations of the Model Code of Conduct and urged the Election Commission to take appropriate measures.
“The Commission has come across an ‘X’ report wherein it has come to the notice that Mehbooba Mufti is using school-going children for the election campaign for Rajouri-Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency”, read a letter written by Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to Rajiv Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India.