Puducherry: Lt Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi appealed to the public to exercise their right to vote in the forthcoming general elections "without fear or favour".

Election to the lone parliamentary seat in Puducherry will be held on the second of the seven-phase poll on April 18. With the model Code of Conduct coming into effect after the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule, Bedi said all her official public engagements and interactions will remain suspended during the period poll code is in force.

"All must exercise their right to vote without fear or favour. The rule of law shall prevail and all administrative systems shall work with utmost fairness and firmness," she said.

In a release, Bedi said her routine programmes of hearing of public grievances, visitors' hour, field visits and other official engagements on her part in Raj Nivas would wait till the completion of the election process.

"This was to ensure sanctity of electoral process and to comply with model code of conduct in letter and spirit," the Lt Governor said. During the period the model code of conduct is in force public grievances would be heard and addressed directly by officers of the departments concerned according to the existing system, she said. Bedi also said that the Lt Governor's all official social media handles would be suspended.