With poll preparations gradually gathering steam in Chhattisgarh, multiple number of flying squads had been formed by the district administration here to check transportation of cash besides liquor and any other suspicious items by supporters of various candidates to lure voters across the district.
This apart, the local poll monitoring teams formed in the district had been asked to establish check posts to keep sharp vigil for preventing banned items being smuggled into the district for distribution to the voters. The officials manning check posts would carry out searches in every vehicle entering the district to eliminate any chances of cash or liquor being clandestinely being brought to the districts from other parts of the State.
The district administration had also formed monitoring teams for keeping tabs on the expenditure being made by the candidates for which the members were trained recently. District Collector Thakur Ram Singh who is also the District Electoral Officer has directed the vigilance team members to keep sharp vigil on the expenditure being made by various candidates as per the directives of the Election Commission of India, an official statement issued here on Sunday stated.
It may be recalled that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) V S Sampath during his review of the poll arrangements being made in Chhattisgarh on his two-day visit to Raipur on August 28 and 29 had directed the district collectors to get the poll expenses of the candidates monitored minutely in their respective districts.
The CEC had also announced in an news conference held in Raipur that the Income Tax Department would also monitor poll spending of the candidates. The various vigilance formats formed by the district administration are video teams, accounts team, a complaints monitoring cell besides a Call Center, expenditure examiner and media certification team.