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Election Commission reviews poll preparedness in Meghalaya
Chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said said detailed discussions and deliberations have been held with the chief secretary, DGP and all senior government officials to ensure a successful poll exercise in Meghalaya
All aspiring candidates in the ensuing Meghalaya Assembly elections next month are mandated to publicly make known prominently their criminal antecedents, if any, in both print and electronic media if they are to qualify so as to enlighten the electorate on who they are electing to the august house, chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said in Shillong on Friday.
“Even political parties will have to enlighten the electorate as to why they chose candidates with criminal backgrounds in a particular constituency. This is an effort to ensure that the electorate is well informed about the candidates prior to masking their choice,” he said. The candidates and political parties will have to carry out this exercise faithfully three consecutive times before the polls.
The CEC, election commissioners Arun Goel and Anup Chandra Pandey along with a team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) concluded their two-day review of the poll preparedness in Meghalaya on Friday.
Kumar said that in its effort to ensure free and fair polls in the most transparent manner possible, the ECI has taken all necessary steps in this regard by involving all government agencies to plug all possible loopholes and lacunae.
Adequate forces are being deployed involving both state and central armed forces including a stringent aerial surveillance system to monitor the entry and exit of flights into the state.
“Agencies were given instructions to follow standard protocols in doing proper checks of flights and choppers coming into the state to avoid any political party or candidate to wrongly influence or induce the voters (with cash),” Kumar said.
All warehouses and stockyards will be monitored to ensure there is no stocking of any material that could be used for vote inducement.
“Meghalaya, known for having conducted peaceful polls, is set to do the same and detailed discussions and deliberations have been held with the chief secretary, DGP and all senior government officials to ensure a successful poll exercise,” Kumar added.
Dispelling doubts of possible infractions along the sensitive inter state boundary, Kumar assured that all registered voters living in villages along the disputed Assam-Meghalaya border will be participating in the upcoming elections.
The ECI team also reviewed the situation following the violence and skirmishes that happened in disputed Block I and in Block II.
Kumar said that the ECI Suvidha Portal( http://suvidha.eci.gov.in) will provide online nomination and affidavit facility to candidates and political parties. Permissions for rallies, meetings, etc. can also be applied online through this portal.
Urging voters to use the vVIGIL mobile app to report any bad campaigning or poll infraction by political parties or individual candidates, Kumar said, “Using the app, I can assure you that our team will respond to the report within 100 minutes, verify the same and an Election Commission team will get back to the complainant.”
The app may be used to report such violations by sending texts, videos or photos.
Of the 29.66 lakh population, over 21 lakh voters have registered with the ECI and are eligible to vote in the upcoming elections. There are 55 seats reserved for STs and 5 open seats in 12 districts.
Kumar said that there are 3,482 Polling Stations with an average of 620 voters in each. Of these, 120 booths will be managed by women teams and 60 booths to be managed by young polling teams and 50% of polling stations will have a webcasting facility.
The Election Commission has also written to each of the 290 centenarians congratulating them and urging them to participate in the upcoming assembly elections, Kumar said.
Another 81,443 voters are newly registered voters.
“For further inclusion of the electorate adequate arrangements will be made at the polling station for the convenience of senior citizens and PwD voters. Home voting facility is also there for 80 years + and PwD voters. A pick and drop facility is also available for them. All Polling Stations will be on the ground floor,” he added.
Teams will also trek through difficult and inaccessible terrain to ensure that no voter is left behind, the EC has assured. Meghalaya has 74 non-motorable polling stations, 2 riverine polling stations accessible by boat only. Nongriat Polling Station in East Khasi Hills is accessible only on foot through the world acclaimed Double Decker Living Root Bridge, Kumar said.
