RAJKOT, JULY 19: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) G V G Krishnamurthy today said the demand made by Gujarat for changing the polling dates due to various festivals falling on September 3 and 4, would be put before the Election Commission.Talking to mediapersons here, the CEC, who was here in connection with the election process, said an early decision would be taken on the State's demand.Strict rules laid down for proposing candidature, along with an increase in deposit amount, have considerably helped in reducing the burden on the Union Government and the Election Commission, he said.There was a decrease in the consumption of stationery in the 1998 elections due to the increase in deposit amount, helping the EC to save Rs 190 crore, the CEC said.He also suggested providing basic facilities like drinking water, rest rooms and first-aid boxes in every polling station, as many old and sick men and women come to vote.Krishnamurthy said, ``The media had played a great role in helping establishing peace, law and order in the country, besides exposing evils and purging undemocratic and undesirable elements.''Earlier, he discussed the strategy for implementing the plan of action and programme for elections and law and order with senior officials of police and district administration of Rajkot and Surendranagar.
