Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 30: In order to ensure free and fair Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has chalked out mechanism to get feedback on various important aspects on day-to-day basis from the District Election Officers, District SPs, Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers. Moreover, the ECI has issued directions for framing nine teams in each Assembly constituency for ensuring strict compliance to the guidelines laid down for the political parties and candidates.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Election Commission of India has framed the mechanism to be followed by all those who are associated with the election process and the same was conveyed to all the District Election Officers (Deputy Commissioners, District SPs, ROs and AROs during a video-conferencing conducted recently by Director General and Director Technical of the Commission.
“Through this mechanism the Commission wants to keep itself updated on implementation of its directives, compliance to the Model Code of Conduct and other guidelines”, they said, adding all the 87 Returning Officers have been directed for daily updating information on Election Commission of India’s dashboard and District Election Officers for monitoring at 6 pm and 8 am every day.
They said that District Election Officers have to submit the photographs of the strong rooms on daily basis. Photographs and live video stream of strong rooms have to be uploaded on Commission’s website and the Returning Officers are required to monitor the strong rooms on daily basis after shifting of Electronic Voting Machines through personal visits and marking of proper entries about the visitors to the strong rooms.
The District Election Officers have been asked for continuous uploading on ECI dashboard the addition in number of voters on daily basis, sources said while disclosing that addition of voters will continue 10 days before the last date of nomination in respective constituencies. However, deletion of voters will remain banned.
According to the sources, the District Election Officers have the standing instructions to update the ECI on Model Code of Conduct violation cases, expenditure and law and order details on daily basis besides providing regular feedback about the seizure of arms, cash, vehicles and liquor.
“The Commission has directed for framing of three flying squads, three video surveillance teams and three static surveillance teams each comprising four to six members so as to ensure strict compliance to the guidelines”, sources said while disclosing that District Election Officers have been asked for furnishing daily reports of flying squads on the website of the Commission.
Similarly, the District SPs have been asked for furnishing law and order reports to the District Election Officers on daily basis for uploading on the Commission’s website.
It has been made clear by the Commission that all types of seizure of Rs 50,000 and above cash shall not be released till it is clear that the amount is not meant for political campaign. Moreover, directions have been issued for compulsorily videography of all seizures and raids.
The Commission has also notified rates for advertisement and media certification and monitoring committees have been asked to furnish information regarding paid news and unapproved advertisements if any on daily basis, sources said, adding two formats have been devised for online information vis-à-vis MCC violations and seizures.
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