News: Election Commission of India has revoked the Status of Congress leader Kamal Nath as a star campaigner for the party for repeated violation of Model Code of Conduct p(MCC) and for completely disregarding the advisory issued to EC.
Facts:
- Star Campaigner: It can be described as persons who are nominated by parties to campaign in a given set of Constituencies.However, there are no specific definitions according to law or the Election Commission of India.
- Benefits: The expenditure incurred on campaigning by such campaigners is exempt from being added to the election expenditure of a candidate.However, this only applies when a star campaigner limits herself to a general campaign for the political party he or she represents.
- Revised Norms: Election Commission has revised norms for star campaigners for polls during the Covid-19 pandemic. As per revised norms, a recognised political party can now have only 30-star campaigners(Earlier 40) and an unrecognised (but registered) political party can have 15(Earlier 20).
Additional Facts:
- Model Code of Conduct (MCC): These are the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India for the conduct of political parties and candidates during elections.It comes into force immediately on the announcement of the election schedule by the commission and remains in force till the end of the electoral process.
