The State Election Commission has directed all divisional commissioners, Zonal Inspector General of Police, DIsG and DMs not to leave their headquarters during the Panchayat polls sans approval of the poll panel. The Panchayat polls will be held in four phases from October 9 to October 29.
"Holding free, fair and transparent polls and counting of votes is not only very important but a challenging task for UP government. Even small incidents can snowball into crises, so the role of police and administrative officers is critical in the conduct of the polls,’’ said Additional Commissioner of SEC, JP Singh.
The SEC official addesd that it was imperative for the senior officers to remain vigilant and personally present at their respective headquarters till the conclusion of the polls and counting of votes.
In a circular sent to all concerned officers, the SEC official said : "If it’s unavoidable or a case of emergency for the officers, then they should inform the Commission.’’
Meanwhile to efectively curb bogus voting and impersonation, the SEC has issued a list of documents and photo identities for voters to be produced before casting their vote. The documents include the elector photo identity card issued by the ECI, PAN cards and 17 other documents. The other documents are Aadhar card, Passport, Driving licence, Photo ID card issued by a PSU or public limited company, Bank of Post office passbook carrying photo, Kisan Bbahi, Pension documents with photograph, Certificate with photo of freedom fighters, Arms license, Job card with photo issued by district authorities for MNREGA, photo ID cards issued to MlAs, MlCs, MPs and ration card.
The SEC has clarified that these documents will be valid for the entire family when they come to the booth for casting their votes along with the head of the family.