EC cautions parties against use of children in poll campaigning

The poll watchdog said that political leaders and candidates should not use children for campaign activities in any manner including holding a child in their arms, carrying a child in a vehicle or in rallies.

New Delhi: Any politician out on campaign during the forthcoming parliamentary polls should carefully avoid holding a child in arms or taking a child for a ride in a vehicle as any such act might draw the ire of the Election Commission (EC).

The EC on Monday warned politicians and political parties against using children in election campaigns in any manner, including by making them distribute posters or pamphlets or participate in raising slogans, campaign rallies and election meetings. The commission stressed that it had ‘zero tolerance’ towards the use of children in any manner during the electoral process by parties and candidates.

The poll panel also wrote to the chief secretaries and the chief electoral officers of all states and Union Territories, asking them to make sure that no child was engaged in any work related to the election.

The commission noted that it has always taken strong exception to the use of children in any way in election-related work and has issued instructions in this regard from time to time. It had directed that no child should be involved in the election process by political parties and election officials, it reminded the state officials.

The EC referred to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986, and the Bombay High Court’s August 4, 2014, order stressing the need to ensure that political parties did not allow the participation of minor children in any election-related activities.

The commission stated that the political leaders and candidates should not use children for campaign activities in any manner, including holding a child in their arms, carrying a child in a vehicle or in rallies.

This prohibition extends to the use of children to create the semblance of a political campaign in any manner including use through poems, songs, spoken words, display of insignia of political party and candidate, exhibiting ideology of political party, promoting achievements of a political party or criticizing the opponent political parties and candidates, the EC noted.

The commission, however, clarified that the mere presence of children accompanied by their parent or guardian in the proximity of a political leader and who was not involved in any election campaigning activity by the political party, would not be construed as a violation of the guidelines set by it.

The EC directed all election officials and machinery to refrain from involving children in any capacity during election-related work or activities. The District Election Officers and Returning Officers would be held personally responsible for ensuring compliance with all relevant acts and laws about child labour and would be subjected to severe disciplinary action for any violation of the law, it added.