Deputy Election Commissioner Alok Shukla on Monday asked the senior officials including the district Collectors and Superintendents of Police to ensure strict implementation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the political parties and the candidates and effective as well as free and fair conduct of the forthcoming elections in the State.
During a review of the election preparedness at a high-level meeting attended by District Collectors who are the District Election Officers, Superintendents of Police, DIG of Police in the four Ranges, senior police officials, regional Income Tax and Central excise and State excise commissioners, Sukla told to undertake video tracking of criminal candidates and VIP campaigners etc to see that the MCC is implemented in letter and spirit.
The Deputy Election Commissioner also directed the officials to take the media reports concerning the violation of poll code and other incidences seriously. Stating that 90 per cent of the media reports are true, he asked the authorities to get the poll related reports inquired into and initiate prompt action. He urged the officers to be friendly with media men and get the feedback from them on poll issues and advised not to try to regulate the media.
The marathon review meeting which was held at the State Secretariat from 10 am to 6 pm deliberated among other things police arrangement to maintain law and order, expenditure monitoring, implementation of MCC, communication plan, media management, preparation of counting, computerisation and IT applications in expenditure monitoring, EPIC monitoring , EVM tracking, complaint redressal mechanism etc.
later talking to newsmen, Dr Shukla expressed his satisfaction in the poll preparedness in the State. All districts are fully prepared for the conduct of the forth coming elections, he said, and added that extra care was being taken in the Maoist infested areas to see that the election passes off peacefully.
He said that adequate forces will be deployed in the Maoist affected areas and if required additional forces and choppers would be provided to the State for safe conduct of the polls. However, he said that the focus of the elections was to regulate the poll expenditure.
He said that the Election Commission had already put up an Expenditure Monitoring Division and in the State level, IG of Police level officers have been put in place as nodal officers to check the misuse of money. The Commission, besides, engaging flying squads and surveillance team, is also closely working with the Income Tax andExcise officials, he said.
The focus was to ensure free and fair polling. It was decided to have video cameras, still cameras, micro observers and web casting in the polling stations considering the vulnerability besides deploy Central paramilitary security personnel. All the polling stations will have at least one of the five provisions, said State Chief Electoral Officer Mona Sharma.