Ahead of the lok Sabha elections in 2014, the political parties in Haryana now stare at another political battle. State Election Commission of Haryana on Thursday announced the election for Municipal Corporations of five cities, on June 2.
The elections would be held at Ambala, Panchkula, Karnal, Panipat, Hisar, Rohtak and Yamuna Nagar. In addition, polls would be held for the Municipal Committee, Kalanaur (Rohtak) and Farukh Nagar (Gurgaon).
State Election Commissioner Dharam Vir said that the Model code of conduct in the area of Municipal Corporation or Committee concerned where the elections will be held will come into force from Thursday itself. No officer or official connected with the election work will be transferred till the completion of election process, he added.
The list of contesting candidates will be posted on May 23 and the list of polling stations will be posted on May 23. Counting will be held on June 4 in the case of Municipal Corporations and in case of Municipal Committees, the counting would take place on June 2 after the close of poll. The election result would be declared immediately after the completion of counting, Dharam Vir added.
He said that elections will be conducted with Electronic Voting Machines. For the first time, the Commission has put the information of polling
stations using GIS technique. While checking his name, any person could check his polling station where he has to go for poll; list of electors of the polling stations with photograph and without photograph can also be seen and downloaded.
Dharam Vir said that every elector will be given a voter slip giving detail of polling station etc. so that he or she may easily go to the polling station to cast his or her vote. He informed that one Election Observer and one expenditure observer for each Municipal Corporation and Committee would be appointed for the conduct of free and fair election.
The Commission has enhanced the limit of the expenditure that could be incurred by a contesting candidate or his authorised election agents in connection with the election, to Rs1,75,000 for a member of Municipal Corporation, for the member of Municipal Council it is Rs75,000 and for the member of Municipal Committee it is Rs 50,000.
There are 144 wards with 17, 03,565 voters in seven municipal corporations at Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Panchkula, Panipat,
Rohtak and Yamunanagar. Out of total 144 wards, 78 wards are reserved including 14 wards for SCs, 8 for SCs(W), 14 for BCs and 42 for women. Rest of the 66 wards are for the candidates from general category.
Additional security
As the political parties are taking these MC elections as pre-poll exercise for upcoming lok Sabha polls in 2014 and have decided to take part under party symbol, the State Elections Commission has asked DGP Haryana to depute more police during the elections. “We asked DGP to substantially increase the police staff for these elections to meet any eventuality and maintain law and order”, said Dharam Vir. He also said that this is the first time when commission will give Rs 100 each to every poll agent for sending SMS on hourly basis about the situation in the polling booth and law and order to the commission.
