District Collector D. Sajith Babu, who is also the District Election Officer, said that votes should not be sought in the name of caste or community in the local body elections.
He was speaking at a meeting of political party representatives at the collectorate ahead of the local body elections, on Tuesday.
Mosques, temples, churches, other places of worship and religious institutions should not be used as election campaign venues, he said.
He warned that political parties and candidates should not engage in any activity that may cause religious or linguistic tensions between different castes and communities, accelerate existing divisions or incite mutual animosity. Those who engaged in such activities could face up to three years in prison, a fine of up to ₹10,000 or both, the Collector said.
When criticizing other political parties, it should be confined to their policies, programmes, antecedents, history, and activities. Criticism of other parties and their activists should be avoided by making baseless or distorted allegations.
Mr. Babu said the right of a person to lead a peaceful private life should be respected, no matter how much he opposed the political views and actions of other parties and candidates.
