The State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) held an all-party meeting here on Tuesday to sensitise the political parties about the new guidelines to be followed during the polls.
CEO Surendra Kumar also discussed on various roles to be played by the political parties during the elections starting April 11.
The CEO said many new guidelines have been introduced for the elections this year. “Earlier, candidates contesting polls had to declare only the last IT return for self, spouse and dependents. Now, it is mandatory for the contestants to declare their income tax returns of last five years and details of foreign assets possessed by them,” Kumar said.
Besides, it is compulsory for the candidates to give their PAN Card details and advertise their criminal antecedents in TV and newspapers at least three times during campaigning for the elections, he added.
The meeting was attended by representatives of all political parties.
In a related development, the CEO has shortlisted names of six celebrities of the State under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) for spreading awareness among voters for the elections.
The shortlisted personalities to be appointed as ‘State Icons’ are sprinter Dutee Chand, para athlete Jayanti Behera, para shuttler Pramod Bhagat, singer Rituraj Mohanty and cine artistes Sivani Sangita and Swaraj.
Kumar has sent the list to the ECI for approval. The ‘State Icons’ will be involved in awareness programmes to encourage young and new voters to exercise their franchise in the elections.