The Election Commission of India (ECI) has not received any official or unofficial information about conducting the Lok Sabha and State elections simultaneously in the concerned States, chief election commissioner Sunil Arora said on Wednesday.
“I have only heard about simultaneous Lok Sabha and legislative assembly elections from you (the media). The ECI is not aware of any such development,” said Arora.
Speculations were rife that the next Lok Sabha and legislative assembly elections will be conducted simultaneously after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led NDA Government proposed the same. Many BJP leaders had mooted the ‘One Nation, One Election’ idea, while most of the opposition parties called it unfeasible.
Arora, who was in Ranchi along with six other members of the ECI since Tuesday, did a recce of the preparedness for elections in Jharkhand. They met representatives of political parties, top officials of law enforcement agencies, senior bureaucrats and Income Tax officials during their visit.
In response to opposition parties’ unanimous demand of transferring officials, who were serving a post for over three years and would be involved in conducting the elections, Arora said, “We have asked the chief secretary to take necessary steps about transfer of officials as per the ECI guidelines.”
The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be used for the first time during elections in Jharkhand this year, he said, adding that the voters in the state will also be able to use the c-VIGIL App for the first time during the upcoming polls.
The App helps citizens file complaints against model code violation by political parties. The App was used during elections in the five states last year.
Arora said that he has also asked the law enforcement agencies to investigate the pending model code violation cases from the past and take necessary actions.
The ECI has asked the state to have at least one booth, entirely run by woman volunteers, in each of the 81 assembly constituencies during the polls. The numbers, he said, must be gradually increased.
Replying to a query, Arora said that an EVM machine cannot be tampered, it can only malfunction in worst case.
Talking about the law and order situation in the state, he said that the number of Left Wing Extremism-hit districts in Jharkhand has reduced and the law enforcement agencies were doing a good job.
“We had a meeting with top police officials and asked them to ensure peaceful polls,” said Arora.
At least 18 of 24 districts in Jharkhand are affected by LWE menace. These insurgants are always on the lookout to sabotage poll proceedings during elections, therefore foolproof security during polls assumes great importance in the state.
Arora said that the ECI has also decided to have polling booths easily accessible by voters in the interiors. Polling booths in the interiors are often clubbed, and voters have to travel long distances to cast their votes.
