Shimla, May 23 -- The decision of the state government to hold a cabinet meeting amid model code of conduct, has brought Congress under direct attack by the opposition that says it is a clear violation of the conduct enforced in wake of ongoing urban local bodies and panchayati raj elections. Taking issue forward, BJP has also filed a complaint with state election commission alleging that the state government violated the model code of conduct by approving major public welfare and employment-related decisions during the ongoing panchayati raj elections. The complaint was submitted by BJP state media co-convenor Karan Nanda, who alleged that the state cabinet meeting held on May 22 cleared several announcements aimed at influencing voters while elections for panchayati raj institutions, zila parishads, block development committees (BDCs), and pradhans are underway across the state. State election commissioner Anil Kumar Khachi said, "We have received a complaint which will be looked into." It may be mentioned that the state cabinet meeting was presided over by chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday in which the cabinet cleared that all women belonging to families with an annual income of less than Rs.2 lakh will receive a monthly pension of Rs.1,500 each. It may be mentioned that around 35,000 women in the state are already receiving this financial assistance under the 'Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana'. In fact, during the Assembly elections held in December 2022, the Congress had pledged to provide a monthly stipend of Rs.1,500 to all women above the age of 18. While no income criteria were specified at that time, the cabinet meeting held on Friday decided to implement the Rs.1,500 payout subject to an annual family income ceiling of Rs.2 lakh. Raising questions regarding the cabinet meeting convened by the Himachal Pradesh government during the model code of conduct, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan stated that the Congress government is openly flouting democratic norms and the electoral code of conduct. He said that the code of conduct is currently in force across the entire state due to ongoing panchayat, BDC, and district council elections; convening a cabinet meeting abruptly at such a juncture raises numerous suspicions in itself. Mahajan asserted that, according to available information, several decisions were taken during the cabinet meeting that could directly influence electoral outcomes. Naresh Chauhan, principal advisor (media) to the chief minister said, " There is no violation or any attempt to influence voters. All the schemes that were approved are ongoing schemes and no new scheme was announced." Responding to the BJP's complaint over the cabinet meeting during the model code of conduct period, Parliamentary affairs minister and industry minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said the decisions taken by the cabinet were routine matters related to budget announcements and ongoing schemes, and did not violate any provision of the conduct....