Video-tracking of candidates with criminal background

J. Balaji

Services of NCC cadets, NSS volunteers to be utilised for poll duties

— Photo: Sandeep Saxena

SHARING POINTS: Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami with Election Commissioner Navin Chawla at a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday.

NEW DELHI, Mar 16 : The Election Commission has urged the 2,500-odd Central election observers of the coming Lok Sabha polls and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim to take up video-tracking of candidates with criminal background and those criminal elements on election-related works. “We have specifically told them to track surrogate ads, advertisements masquerading as news items, mass weddings, birthday parties and mass feeding sessions,” said Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami on Sunday.
Earlier, he chaired a meeting of poll observers here along with Election Commissioners Navin Chawla and S.Y. Quraishi.
Identification of critical polling stations/clusters, setting up of facilitation centres for issue of postal ballot papers to the polling personnel (including security personnel), preparation of communication plan, randomisation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and revised procedure of counting of votes were some of the areas on which instructions were given to the observers who would include IAS, IRS, Indian Forest Service, Indian Custom and Excise Service officers and 850 officers from the State Civil services.
He said the expenditure reports of the observers would be scrutinised post-poll by a select group of 3 to 4 senior expert officers who would be deputed to the Election Commission for the purpose. Those officers would be identified by the Commission shortly.
Mr. Gopalaswami added that the Commission would also utilise the services of National Cadet Corps cadets and National Service Scheme volunteers for poll duties.
IPL matches The fate of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches is likely to remain uncertain as Mr. Gopalaswami said the Commission might require additional forces for the polls in some places. “About IPL, I don’t want to say anything. We are not concerned about the IPL. We are concerned about what we get [Central paramilitary forces for the polls].” Though the availability of forces was less in this elections compared to 2004, deployment in the field was more as against the last polls. “Still we have some concern. We have had one round of talks. We hope to have another round,” he said.
The Commission had toured Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh and felt that more forces could be needed for the polls.
On the controversy surrounding the appointment of IPS officer S.S. Virk as the new DGP of Maharashtra vis-À-vis corruption charges against him, he said the issue was a complicated one and the appointment was made on the directions of the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court. As far as the Commission was concerned it had been told that the officer would not handle any election-related work, he said.
The Commission, in three days, would decide on Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh’s reply to its notice on distribution of money during the “Holi milan” programme; and the Opposition’s demand for removal of Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary P. Ramakanth Reddy and DGP S.S.P. Yadav for their “pro-Congress statements,” he said.
The CEC refused to accept the allegations made by the DMK in Tamil Nadu that State Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta was “biased” and shot back: “We know who is biased and who is not.”