Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Navin Chawla Saturday held a meeting with 470 observers and advised them to take steps to ensure free and fair assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra.
Polls in Haryana, Maharashtra and Arunchal Pradesh are scheduled for Oct 13 and counting will be on Oct 22. The meeting with the observers for Arunachal Pradesh was held Friday.

“The observers will monitor strictly the enforcement of model code of conduct. The commission impressed upon the observers to take every step possible to ensure free and fair poll,” a statement issued here said.

The CEC advised them to make sure that extensive videography was done at all critical events and at critical polling stations.

In the meeting, at which the two Election Commissioners S.Y. Quraishi and V.S. Sampath were also present, the observers were advised to look into the force deployment in the constituencies assigned to them.

“(The) observers will be monitoring all the processes involved in the conduct of elections to maintain its purity including the election expenditure incurred by the contesting candidates,” the statement said.

They will supervise the process of election at all stages — campaign, poll, counting of votes and declaration of results.

They will also supervise the preparation of electronic voting machines, training of polling personnel and conduct of voter awareness programmes.

All these election officials will be reaching their constituencies by Sep 25, which is the last date of filing of nominations — and will stay there till the end of the polls.

They have been told to make sure that the affidavits that are filed by the candidates at the time of filing nominations detailing their movable and immovable assets, qualifications, convictions, cases pending in courts, are displayed prominently and made available for public scrutiny.