South Africa tour of India 2019
Delhi Electoral Office Rejects AAP's Campaign Song, Cites Violation of Guidelines
The office of Delhi's chief electoral officer dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party's assertion that the Election Commission had "banned" its Lok Sabha campaign song, "Jail Ka Jawab, Vote Se Denge," labeling it as "factually incorrect and misleading." They clarified that the AAP was instructed to modify the song's content due to violations of EC guidelines and advertising codes.
In response to AAP's claim, the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) stated that the party could appeal the decision before the state-level Media Certification and Monitoring Committee if they disagreed. The campaign song, lasting over two minutes and written and sung by AAP MLA Dilip Pandey, was unveiled at the party headquarters.
AAP's senior leader Atishi argued that the campaign song did not mention the BJP and did not breach the Model Code of Conduct. However, the Delhi poll body raised eight objections:
The phrase "jail ke jawaab me hum vote denge" was deemed to cast doubts on the judiciary.
The phrase "Tanashahi party ko hum chot denge" alongside a clip of protesters and police clash was seen as inciting violence.
Phrases like 'gundagardi ke khilaf vote denge' and 'tanashahi karne wali party ko hum chot denge' were criticized for presenting the police negatively.
A certain phrase was flagged as making slanderous remarks against the ruling party and the judiciary.
The use of "Gundo wali party chodo" alongside pictures of political leaders and symbols was considered slanderous.
Criticism of the ruling party based on unverified facts was found objectionable.
A specific phrase was missing from the submitted transcript.
Certain phrases were found to contravene electoral guidelines and advertising codes.
The AAP was advised to modify the song accordingly. The timing of the letter's issuance, two days after the song's release, remains unclear.
