EC has issued strict poll spending guidelines: DC

Each and every paise spent will be monitored during the Vidhan Sabha elections as the Election Commission has issued strict guidelines. Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari conveyed this to the representatives of all parties while conducting a meeting.

Each and every paise spent will be monitored during the Vidhan Sabha elections as the Election Commission has issued strict guidelines. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rahul Tiwari conveyed this to the representatives of all parties while conducting a meeting.

Tiwari stated that no candidate can spend more than Rs 16 lakh and candidates would have to open separate accounts for their election campaign,which would be monitored by special monitoring committees. In addition to this,even the advertisements placed by supporters of candidates would be counted in their account and they would not be able to get away by saying that they have no idea about it,he warned.

Strict action would be taken against candidates for violating Election Commission norms,he told the party representatives. The candidates also cannot display advertisements on private buildings without the consent of the owner and the expenditure involved in such advertisements too would be included in the candidates expenditure account.

They can display hoardings only on paid MC sites,said the DC. Coming to paid news issue and advertisements in print and electronic media,Tiwari said that a three-member committee,headed by the ADC(D) and with the DPRO and a senior journalist as members,had been formed.

They would keep a check on such news items and advertisements so as to calculate the amount of money spent on paid news items. Campaign programmes and rallies would be videographed by special teams of the district administration to check the expenditure involved on rallies and also during the period of observance of the Code Of Conduct.

Candidates would also have to carry documents along them before carrying cash during campaigns. A monitoring committee has been formed to investigate suspicious transactions of more than Rs 1 lakh in candidates bank accounts, said Tiwari. An Income tax official has also been kept in this committee,he informed.

The meeting was attended by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik,Ranjit Singh,Sukhwinder Singh,and representatives of the BJP,Congress,BSP,CPI(M) and several other parties.

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