Jharkhand BJP takes down controversial video ad after ECI rap

The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently ordered the takedown of a video posted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jharkhand on its social media handles, on finding that the video appeared to violate the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in force during the ongoing Jharkhand assembly elections.

In a November 17 letter, the ECI directed Jharkhand's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to instruct the BJP Jharkhand to take down the said video. In response, the BJP has now removed the disputed advertisement from its social media handles.

The ECI also called for an explanation from the BJP on the alleged violation of the MCC in the controversial post.

The ECI took action against the ad after receiving complaints from the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) about a "misleading and malicious video" shared by BJP Jharkhand on November 16.

The social media post in question was alleged to contain a communal, malicious, and misleading video captioned "Poore Jharkhand ka kaya palat kar denge."

Jharkhand is in the process of electing its next government, with polling held on November 13, the second phase scheduled for November 20, and results to be announced on November 23, alongside election results in Maharashtra.

Political parties have been actively campaigning on social media, but a BJP advertisement shared on the BJP Jharkhand X handle sparked debate shortly after its upload.

The video is said to have featured a house displaying a JMM banner and a poster of a figure resembling Chief Minister Hemant Soren, accompanied by the caption “Poore Jharkhand ka kaya palat kar denge.”

It also reportedly depicted hundreds of people from a particular community forcefully entering the house with the intent to reside there.

After reviewing the complaint, the ECI stated that the social media post appeared to prima facie breach the MCC.

It added that action needs to be taken to pull down the post under Section 79(3)(b) (intermediaries liable for action if they fail to delete unlawful posts that are brought to their notice by the government) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

[Read ECI Letter]