Given below are two statements: Assertion [A]: Model code of conduct is to be followed by political parties as soon as an election is announced. Reason [R]: Mode code of conduct was enacted by Parliament. Choose the correct answer from the code given below:

The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is not a statute. No Act of Parliament enacted it. It is a set of norms the Election Commission of India developed over time, based on the consensus of political parties. It began with the Kerala assembly elections in 1960, and the Election Commission issued a formal code in 1968. It comes into force the moment the poll schedule is announced and binds all parties and candidates until the results are declared.

So the Assertion [A] is true: parties must follow the MCC once elections are announced. The Reason [R] is false, because the MCC was never enacted by Parliament. The Commission enforces it through its own powers under Article 324, using advisories, censure, or stopping campaigns, not through prosecution under a law. Options A and B fail because R is false. Option D fails because A is true.

Mains angle: the MCC shows how institutional self-regulation fills gaps in law, and why there is a debate on giving the Commission statutory backing for enforcement.

Trap: Aspirants hear "code" and "elections" and assume a statutory provision. Remember that the MCC is a consensus-based framework administered under Article 324, not a parliamentary law.