Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has said that the Election Commission will initiate stern action against those indulging in distribution of liquor, cash and other freebies to voters in the forthcoming assembly elections.
The Chief Election Commissioner said incidents of distribution of money and liquor in the bypolls held in Telangana had come to the notice of the commission. “Giving, taking and facilitation of inducements are punishable. Heard about the menace in the bypolls and we have registered cases under sections of the IPC. You will see the action,” he asserted.
He was replying to a query on the huge amounts of cash and liquor apprehended during the previous assembly elections in 2018, during a press conference to mark the conclusion of ECI team’s visit to assess the poll preparedness in Telangana on Thursday. The Chief Election Commissioner however evaded a reply when asked about the possible date of announcement of schedule for assembly elections.
Asked about the scope for complacency on the part of the official machinery, Mr. Rajiv Kumar said the officials deployed on election duties would directly report to the Election Commission which would monitor their functioning. While high technology tools like Apps had been made available for people to lodge their complaints, the ECI would deploy observers including expenditure observers to monitor the situation during the election time.
As many as 35,356 polling stations – 14,458 in urban and 20,898 in rural areas - would be set up in the State with minimum assured facilities. Of these, the poll proceedings would be webcast from 27,798 polling stations. The State’s average voter turnout was 73.37 per cent in the last election, but 29 assembly constituencies including 24 in the GHMC area reported less than average voter turnout.
The Commission had therefore resolved to enhance voter turnout by 10 per cent in these 24 constituencies with less than 60 per cent turnout and by 5 per cent in five other constituencies where turnout was less than state average.
