New Delhi: Over 700 concerned citizens have signed a complaint to the Election Commission of India noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct through his national address on April 18.Modi’s was an extraordinary public speech targeting opposition parties after his government’s efforts to operationalise women’s reservation through a contentious plan to expand the Lok Sabha and enter into a delimitation process was defeated in the Lower House.The signatories, including former bureaucrats, activists and academics, observed that the speech was broadcast on publicly funded platforms like Doordarshan and All India Radio, amounting to partisan electioneering using official machinery.Citing MCC provisions, the signatories note that this gave undue advantage to the ruling party and undermined a level playing field.Opposition parties Congress, CPI(M) and CPI have also flagged the MCC violations.The complainants have requested an inquiry, appropriate action, possible removal of the speech, and equal media time for other parties if prior approval had been granted.The full text of their complaint is below.§ToThe Chief Election CommissionerElection Commission of IndiaNirvachan Sadan, Ashoka RoadNew Delhi – 110 001Dated: April 20, 2026Subject: Complaint regarding gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in the National Address delivered on 18 April 2026Sir,We, the concerned citizens of India, bring to your urgent notice a clear and blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India through the national address delivered on 18th April 2026.The said address was broadcast/telecast live on official government mass media platforms, including Doordarshan, Sansad TV and All India Radio, which are funded by the public exchequer.The use of official government machinery and mass media by the Prime Minister, for what amounted to electioneering and partisan propaganda during the operation of the Model Code of Conduct, constitutes a serious breach of the MCC.Such action provides an undue advantage to the party in power and undermines the level playing field essential for free and fair elections.In this regard, we respectfully draw your attention to the following specific provisions of the Model Code of Conduct for the Guidance of Political Parties and Candidates issued by the Election Commission of India (as available on the official website of the ECI):(a) The party in power, whether at the Centre or in the State or States concerned, shall ensure that no cause is given for any complaint that it has used its official position for the purposes of its election campaign and in particular –(i) The Ministers shall not combine their official visit with electioneering work and shall not also make use of official machinery or personnel during the electioneering work.(ii) Government transport including official air-crafts, vehicles, machinery and personnel shall not be used for furtherance of the interest of the party in power;(iii) Issue of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer in the newspapers and other media and the misuse of official mass media during the election period for partisan coverage of political news and publicity regarding achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power shall be scrupulously avoided.The National Address in question was delivered by the Prime Minister in his official capacity and was broadcast using official mass media at public expense. It thereby violated the explicit prohibition contained in clauses 1(a), 1(b) and 4 of Section VII of the MCC.We therefore most respectfully request the Election Commission of India to:(a) Immediately take cognizance of this complaint and initiate an inquiry into the contents and manner of the National Address delivered on 18 April 2026;(b) Examine the transcript/telecast of the address in light of the above-quoted provisions of the MCC;(c) Issue appropriate directions and take necessary action against the violation so as to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process and ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates; and(d) Inform us of the action taken on this complaint at the earliest.(e) Further, if the said National Address was delivered with the prior permission of the Election Commission of India, then equal time on the national media should be provided to other political parties to present their points of view. However, if it was not done with the ECI’s prior permission and constitutes a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, the ECI should immediately order the removal of this speech from all official records, government websites, and media platforms, and take other suitable deterrent action for the violation.We trust that the Commission will treat this complaint with the urgency and seriousness it deserves, in line with its constitutional mandate under Article 324 of the Constitution of India to ensure free and fair elections.