Major stakeholders in Himachal Pradesh politics wish to join the electoral fray in mid-November, around a month in advance than the present tenure of the State Assembly comes to an end, Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti said on Monday.
Joti, who had been on a two-day visit to Himachal Pradesh to take stock of the poll preparedness of the hill State, said that apprehending severe cold in December, political parties wanted to have elections in November.
In another major decision before the State goes into poll mode, the Election Commission has debarred deployment of retired, re-employed and 'serving extension' officers on poll duty. Taking note of the concern of political parties about deployment of 'blue-eyed' officers on poll duties, CEC Joti said that political parties demanded that retired, reemployed and officers on extension should not be deployed on the election duty and Chief Secretary VC Pharka had been directed not to detail such officers at least for election duty.
Addressing a Press conference in Shimla, with the other dignitaries of Election Commission of India, Joti said during the two days, the Election Commission had taken note of the major concerns of the stakeholders in State politics and the election would be scheduled keeping the concerns in view.
Sharing major concerns of the political parties, the CEC said installation of hoardings on highways, deployment of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), paid news and election expenses of candidates had been the major concerns of the political parties. Joti said opposition parties had also demanded a bar on the ruling party from making announcements of the schemes, for which the budgetary allocations had not been made.
He said deployment of adequate number of Central Armed Para-Military Forces had also been raised with the commission. Talking about deployment of VVPAT machines with EVMs, Joti said that 100 per cent EVMs installed with VVPAT machines were used for the first time in Goa elections, and in Himachal Pradesh also the practice would be done. He said Election Commission was procuring 23 lac new EVMs and 16 lac VVPAT machines. He said in future the VVPAT machines would be installed with all the EVMs.
Announcing a new initiative, he said 136 polling booths in the State would be manned by only women staff this time, and the entire poll process would be conducted by women staff on these polling stations.
Joti, said the commission had taken meetings with various political parties, Chief Secretary, Secretary Home, Secretary Public Works Department, Deputy Commissioners(DCs), DGP, Superintendents of Police(SPs), Directors and Inspectors General of Police (DIGs &IGs), Income Tax Commissioners and Management of banks.
The CEC said the final schedule for the election process was yet to be devised and the Model Code of Conduct will be enforced in the state, when Election Commission is ready with the poll plan.