Eager to see NOTA outcome in polls: CEC

Chief Election Commiss-ioner VS Sampath on Saturday said that the Commission would eagerly await to see the outcome of the None Of The Above (NOTA) option provided in EVMs used by voters as it is being implemented for the first time in the Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh.

He was replying to a specific query regarding possible intimidation of voters by insurgents in Bastar during the Assembly polls which might force them to press the NOTA button in fear of any reprisal from the Maoists.Sampath said that the Bastar region consumed a larger share of the time of the Commission in ensuring full poll preparedness due to existence of critical polling stations in the insurgency-infested region.

“We are looking into security arrangements required in the interior parts of Bastar where there is a threat to the life of voters and the polling teams,” he said. Sampath said that the Commission is keeping a close watch on the security arrangements being made in Bastar region while keeping the safety of the local community in mind.Regarding his meeting with the representatives of political parties last evening in the city, the CEC said that a number of constructive suggestions as well as complaints were received from political parties.

“There were complaints regarding misuse of government machinery while the ruling party complained about the hurdles being caused to the implementation of some of the ongoing government programmes due to enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct,” he said.“We have clarified that the Government programmes concerning child and health should be made to go on without any disruptions,” Sampath said.The political parties have also feared that distribution of liquor would play a dominant role in the polls and urged the Election Commission to take stringent action, he said.

There were also complaints that there was a delay being encountered in receiving permission for holding rallies for which it was stated that ‘a single window clearance system’ shall be implemented for dealing with such requests, Sampath said.“Anybody who is planning to hold a rally must apply 24 hours in advance to the Office of the Returning Officer for seeking permission to hold the rally,” he said. The Commission has also stated that security will be provided to the candidates provided they provide adequate notice to the administration in advance, he said.

Sampath said that complaints were received regarding violation of Model Code of Conduct during the Navratri season. “It had been categorically stated that political parties cannot mix religion with politics.”The Election Commission would keep a close watch on the activities of political parties during the Diwali season ahead, he said.There were also complaints regarding biased attitude of officials during the implementation of Model Code of Conduct for which it had been strictly directed that the Model Code of Conduct should be implemented uniformly.

The normal activities of passing a map for a building by the Municipal Corporation must not be stopped as there is no such restriction on such activities, the CEC said.Earlier, providing details on poll arrangements in Chhattisgarh, Sampath said that the task of photo on electoral rolls is 99.38 per cent complete and 98.63 per cent voters have EPIC cards.

There are 21,424 polling stations established in the State out of which 6,920 are declared as ‘Sensitive’ and 3,249 as ‘Hyper Sensitive’ polling stations, he said. The Vote Verifier Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system used to ensure the accuracy of the voting system in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) could not be introduced in the Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh due to lack of sufficient number of printers available in the State, he added.