RAS question
Model Code of Conduct comes into force from the date of:
Correct answer: (B) Announcement of election schedule by the Election Commission.
The Model Code of Conduct comes into force immediately when the Election Commission announces the election schedule.
Explanation
The trigger point is the Election Commission's announcement of the election schedule, not any later procedural stage. Election Commission material says that, once the Commission announces the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct comes into force with immediate effect and remains in force until the completion of the elections. This is why the announcement matters: it is the public administrative signal that starts the campaign-control period for political parties and candidates. The Code is not a statutory document; the Election Commission enforces it through administrative action. For an exam question, therefore, the precise phrase to remember is “announcement of election schedule by the Election Commission”.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Notification of election results comes after the election process, while the Model Code of Conduct applies from the Election Commission's schedule announcement until completion of elections.
- (C) Filing of nominations is only one later step in the election process; the Code has already started once the Commission announces the schedule.
- (D) The date of polling is too late, because the Code regulates conduct during the campaign period that begins with the election announcement.
Concept
This tests Election Commission powers and election administration under Indian polity. It recurs in RAS because the Model Code of Conduct is a standard governance question where the exact starting point is often confused with nomination, polling or results stages.