The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a show-cause notice to the Haryana BJP for posting a campaign video on X (formerly Twitter) that featured a child, which violates ECI guidelines. These guidelines, based on the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, strictly prohibit the involvement of children in any election-related activities, such as rallies, distributing posters, or performing in campaign videos. The notice was addressed to the state president of BJP Haryana, demanding immediate corrective action, with a response deadline of 6 pm on August 29.
According to ECI rules, political parties are barred from involving children in any form of campaign activities, including rallies, slogan shouting, or promotional videos. Leaders and candidates are not allowed to use children in campaigns, whether by having them participate in rallies, ride in campaign vehicles, or perform in any capacity. The use of children to convey political messages, either through spoken words, songs, or symbols, is also forbidden. However, if a child is merely present with their parent or guardian near a political leader without participating in campaign activities, it does not violate these guidelines.
With the Model Code of Conduct now in effect in Haryana, the state is gearing up for its 90-member Assembly elections on October 1, with results to be announced on October 4. In the previous assembly elections, the BJP formed a coalition government with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), though the alliance later dissolved over disagreements on seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has since secured its government with the support of Independent MLAs.