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VVPAT to be used to increase voters’ trust: Haryana CEO
“When the voter casts his vote, the VVPAT screen will display the vote for seven seconds. This gives the voter confidence that the vote he has cast has gone to the intended candidate,” Haryana chief electoral officer (CEO) Anurag Agarwal said.
Haryana chief electoral officer (CEO) Anurag Agarwal on Thursday said to increase voters’ trust, the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be used during the Lok Sabha elections on May 25.
“When the voter casts his vote, the VVPAT screen will display the vote for seven seconds. This gives the voter confidence that the vote he has cast has gone to the intended candidate,” the CEO said in a statement, asking the media to ensure balanced and unbiased reporting so that citizens receive accurate news.
Agarwal said during the model code of conduct, publishing and broadcasting news and advertisements according to the rules and guidelines set by the Press Council of India for print media and the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) for electronic media is mandatory.
The CEO chaired a review meeting here on Thursday regarding the preparations for general elections.
He said any candidate or political party giving advertisements for printing or broadcasting in print or electronic media will be required to verify whether the advertisement has been certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC).
He said that the MCMC committee has been formed at the central, state, and district levels, and candidates or political parties don’t need to obtain certification only from Haryana’s MCMC committee.
He said the candidates or political parties can also obtain certification from the MCMC committee located in Delhi, which will also be valid in Haryana.
He said that various types of advertising material are printed by candidates and political parties for election campaigning, so it is necessary to send the printed material by the publisher and printer to the office of the concerned district magistrate or chief electoral officer.
He said that if any individual prints or broadcasts advertising material on behalf of a candidate or political party, then the media organisation will have to check whether the individual has obtained consent from the candidate or political party. If advertising material is being printed or broadcasted with the consent of the candidate or political party, then the expenditure of the advertisement will be added to the election expenses of that candidate or political party.
“If any advertising is being done without the consent of the candidate or political party, a case will be filed against that individual,” he said.
