Congress jibes at EC ahead of poll schedule, invokes ‘G1–G2’ remark

With the Election Commission of India (ECI) set to announce the schedule for the upcoming assembly elections on Sunday evening, the Indian National Congress launched a sharp political dig, suggesting the announcement would have been cleared by “G2” only after “G1” had finished a round of government inaugurations and launches.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the poll schedule, expected to be unveiled at 4 pm, would likely come only after a series of official events such as inaugurations, ribbon-cuttings, flag-offs and project launches had concluded.

“It would have been given the go-ahead by the G2, since G1 would have completed this round of inaugurations, ribbon-cuttings, flag-offs and launches,” Ramesh remarked.

The Congress has frequently used the term “G2” to take swipes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah, both of whom hail from the western state of Gujarat.

Ramesh further criticised the conduct of election campaigns since 2014, alleging that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) enforced by the Election Commission has increasingly resembled what he described as “Modi’s Code of Campaigning”.

“The Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct will soon come into effect. But since 2014, this has come to stand for Modi’s Code of Campaigning which will be full of defamation, abuses, intimidation, fear-mongering and spreading the virus of lies,” he said.

The Election Commission is scheduled to announce the dates for the Assembly elections in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal, along with the Union Territory of Puducherry later on Sunday.

The terms of these legislative assemblies are set to expire at different points in May and June, making the upcoming polls a major political test for parties across the country.

Meanwhile, the final electoral rolls for the four states and the Union territory have already been published following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, a preparatory step ahead of the elections.

Once the schedule is announced, the Model Code of Conduct will immediately come into force, placing restrictions on government announcements and campaign practices during the election period.

With PTI inputs