Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi hereon Friday, issued strict guidelines to ensure free and fair assembly elections in Uttarakhand. Briefing the mediapersons about the preparations, the Chief Election Commissioner revealed that observer’s teams will keep a tab on all activities of the candidates to ascertain if they are indulging in resorting to money and muscle power including luring the voters with liquor.
“Our general observers and expenditure observers will keep an alert eye on money, muscle power and liquor during the state polls and they would check that any such things do not affect the elections,” said Qureshi. He mentioned that the Election Commission has specified all necessary guidelines and that it is monitoring the pre-polls process in the five states where polls are scheduled to take place.
He also said a special cell has been assigned to address the grievances of various political parties. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would be delivering the voters slips this time, he noted. “This time, we will distribute voter slips through our BLO and hundred percent voters list will reach to the voters on time. All the political parties have praised this move,” he said.
In a move to curb financial irregularities and to ensure the candidates campaign within the stipulated ceiling of expenses, he said that flying squad and surveillance teams have been constituted to monitor them. “Every candidate will open an account and his entire campaign would be run from the limited money of his special account. Our expenditure observer and assistant expenditure observer of Revenue Services will come from different parts of the country to monitor and audit the accounts,” added Qureshi.
Full Article: Election Commission declares stringent steps for free and fair polls in Uttarakhand.