CEC lauds Kerala model, urges parties to uphold standard

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, on Friday, called upon all political parties to ensure that the conduct of the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala remains a model not only for the country but also for the world, Election Commission of India (ECI) officials said.

Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, and Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar, held a meeting with representatives of national and State political parties.

The CEC is on a three-day visit to Kerala to review preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections.

According to ECI officials, most political parties appreciated the EC for the peaceful and smooth conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Kerala.

Some parties also appreciated the work done by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the SIR process.

Kumar reiterated that the SIR had been conducted in a transparent manner and said that Forms 6, 7 and 8 could still be filed for inclusions, deletions or corrections in the electoral rolls.

Appeals could also be filed with the District Magistrate or the Chief Electoral Officer as per the Representation of the People Act, 1950, he said.

During the meeting, political parties urged the Commission to take stringent measures to curb the use of money power and the distribution of liquor and freebies during elections, officials said.

Some parties also requested the ECI to keep local festivals in mind while finalising the poll schedule.

Kumar assured the parties that elections are conducted strictly as per the law in an impartial, free, fair and transparent manner.

He encouraged political parties to use the CVIGIL component of the ECINET platform of the ECI to file complaints regarding violations of the model code of conduct during elections.

Election Commission of India officials also assured that minimum facilities at polling booths, including ramps, wheelchairs and drinking water, would be ensured for the comfort of voters.

The national parties that attended the meeting were the Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian National Congress.

The State parties present included the Communist Party of India, Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress, Kerala Congress (M) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party.