Guwahati: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manipur Rajesh Agrawal informed that The Election Commission of India (ECI) will visit Manipur on February 7 to assess poll preparedness for the upcoming election to the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Addressing to media, Agarwal at his Lamphelpat office on Thursday conveyed that the Election Commission will hold a meeting with the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Chief Electoral Officer, State Police Nodal Officer, DG Assam Rifles, recognized National/State political parties, District Election Officers, Superintendents of Police, and Enforcement Agencies.
He stated that all Returning Officers (RO) provided Election Notifications for the First Phase on February 1, while Notifications for the Second Phase will be given on February 4.
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, he also stated that the number of people who can accompany a candidate when filing a nomination has been limited to two and the number of cars has been limited to two. He remarked that candidates in the current General Elections should register separate bank accounts to incur expenses.
In terms of criminal antecedents, the CEO indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party has released Format C-7 for 13 candidates with criminal backgrounds so far, while the Indian National Congress had done so for 11 candidates. He further stated that within 48 hours of picking candidates with criminal histories, political parties shall publish Format C-7, and compliance in Format C-8 should be provided to the ECI/CEO within 72 hours of selecting such candidates.
Furthermore, candidates with criminal antecedents must publish a declaration in Format C-1 and report compliance to the RO on three occasions (from the last date of withdrawal of candidature until two days before the poll) in national newspapers, local newspapers, and television channels as specified by the CEO. Political parties should additionally publish in Format C-4 and report compliance to the CEO three times in local media and television channels, as the CEO specifies. He went on to say that candidates should also file a Revised Abstract Statement of Election Expenses, which has been sent to all ROs and political parties.
He further informed that the IT Cell of the CEO of Manipur had developed an Android-based mobile app called Voter Facilitator App. Normal voters, 80+ voters, and PwD category voters will be able to use their mobile devices to access information on typical queue waiting times, wheelchair service booking, and postal ballot opting services from the comfort of their own homes.
Rajesh Agrawal also mentioned that permission for meetings and door-to-door campaigning should be sought in advance from the District Election Officers. Outdoor physical meetings were limited to 1000 people, or 50 percent of the ground’s capacity, or the SDMA’s authorised limit, whichever was lower. Indoor gatherings were limited to 500 people, or 50 percent of the hall’s capacity, or the SDMA’s recommended limit, whichever was lower. A maximum of 20 people were authorised to participate in the door-to-door campaign, excluding security professionals. He stated that no roadshow, physical rally, Pad-yatra, cycle/bike/vehicle rally, or procession is permitted until February 11.
Furthermore, each political party/candidate must certify in the Suvidha application form that it will follow all existing instructions/guidelines in this regard. On any campaign day, no rallies or public meetings will be allowed between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. (akin to a campaign curfew), he added.
He claimed that only the Shiv Sena has filed the Star Campaigners’ list so far, explaining that political parties must present a list of 30 Star Campaigners for recognised parties and 20 for registered unrecognised political parties. He stated that star campaigners should submit requests for approval at least 48 hours before the commencement of the campaign so that essential safety arrangements may be made.
He stated that in addition to the 2959 polling stations, nine auxiliary polling stations had been established, bringing the total number of polling stations to 2968. He further informed that a total of 3985 postal ballot requests had been received, with 773 for PwD voters and 3212 for voters aged 80 and up.
The CEO further noted that polling personnel dispersal would begin at P-2 for 330 polling stations and P-3 for 35 polling stations located in remote areas of Churachandpur, Chandel, Ukhrul, and Tamenglong. The Polling Personnel of the aforesaid polling locations had also designated 18 Intermediate Strong Rooms for storing EVMs, he added.
In terms of law and order and seizure, the CEO said that 17,187 licence arms, or 74.8 percent of total licence arms (22,957), had been deposited and that certain things, such as cash, narcotics, liquor, gold, and other valuables, totaling Rs. 78 crores, had been seized to date.
He also said that 50 Central Armed Police Force companies have been deployed in the state, with another 75 companies expected to arrive in the next two weeks. He announced that a total of 20 General Observers, 11 Police Observers, 20 Expenditure Observers, and 3 Special Observers, namely Special General Observer Pravir Krishna, IAS (Retd), Special Police Observer Arun Kumar, IPS (Retd), and Special Expenditure Observer Rajesh Tuteja, Ex IRS (IT), will soon visit the State.
The CEO further emphasised that minors should not be used in election-related activities like campaigning or carrying campaign materials, and that all political parties and candidates should follow ECI guidelines in this regard. He indicated that political parties/candidates must obtain MCMC pre-certification before publishing political advertisements in newspapers on election day and one day previous to the election. Furthermore, as per Section 126 of the RPA, manifestos are not to be distributed during the prohibitory period (the last 48 hours before the poll closes) in both phases.