The Centre’s decision to give awards to nine sportspersons, including five from Manipur, has now come under the scanner of the Election Commission.

The Commission sees the decision as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The winners, who were participants in the 2016 Rio Olympics, were facilitated on February 28.

Manipur will have a two-phase poll on March 4 and 8 to elect 60 members of the State Assembly, along with Uttar Pradesh, which will see the seventh and eighth rounds of voting on the same days.

In a communication to the secretaries to the ministries of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) and Home Affairs (MHA), the Commission sought “reasons” for not seeking the poll panel’s approval before giving out the awards.

“It has come to the notice of the Commission through news reports that the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and Ministry of Home Affairs on February 28 felicitated nine sportspersons who participated in Rio Olympics, five of whom hail from Manipur, one of the five poll-bound States,” the Commission says in its Communication to the secretaries.

The secretaries have been asked to send their response to the Commission by March 4.

The poll code came into effect from January 4 when the Commission announced dates for elections to the five States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur. While the poll process is complete in Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand, the process will get over in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh on March 8. Counting of votes will be held on March 11.

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