Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) L Khiangte on Saturday asked all the District Election Officers (DEOs) over video conferencing to comply with the norms for EVM-VVPAT machines, ensure prompt action on complaints lodged through the cVigil App and complete training of personnel who would be deployed on poll duty.
While reviewing the preparations for the 17th General Elections for the 14 parliamentary seats in Jharkhand, Khiangte said that a strict vigil must be maintained on the Model Code of Conduct violations in each district and all complaints made on the cVigil App must be addressed within 100 minutes. Khiangte said that all the materials printed by political parties for campaigning must carry the names of the printer and the publisher. He also reviewed the arrangements made at various polling centres in the state.
“All the reports related to election works must be sent to the Jharkhand Chief Electoral Office timely in a bid to ensure that we can send them on time to the Election Commission of India,” he said. Additional Chief Electoral Officers Vinay Kumar Choubey and Manish Ranjan also gave necessary directives to district poll officials over videoconferencing.
Choubey told DEOs that on the basis of the proposal sent by the districts; changes in at least 463 polling booths have been approved by the ECI. He asked them to ensure electricity, water, toilets and other essential services till March 31 in every polling station.
He asked the DEOs to ensure webcasting of at least 10 per cent of the booths and ensure participation of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan workers in poll arrangements. Some polling booths were webcast live for the first time in 2014.
“We have to increase the poll percentage by at least 10 percent this year. You have to ensure that voters are trained for the use of EVM-VVPAT machines before the polling day,” said Manish Ranjan.