CHENNAI/NEW DELHI, January 8: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) M S Gill today said that the Election Commission (EC) would provide a level playing field for all contestants so that ruling parties did not have an undue advantage over other political parties in the coming Lok Sabha elections.Addressing a press conference in Chennai, Gill said that a special watch would be kept on `VIP constituencies' throughout the country, to ensure that there was no violation of the model code of conduct.The CEC said that it was proposed to computerise electoral rolls of each constituency and make these available to political parties so that missing names could be spotted soon and included. In Tamil Nadu, which was perhaps the only state to have a Joint Chief Electoral Officer designated for computers, Gill said the revised computerised rolls were likely to be completed by the end of January.Denying allegations that voting machines capable of covering about 200 constituencies were lying idle with the commission, Gill said the machines purchased in the early 1980's at a cost of Rs 75 crore were ``outdated and unusable''. These could only cover about 30 constituencies, he said, adding that they could only be used in high literacy areas.The commission, he said, proposed to use voting machines in some selected constituencies but the proposal had to be abandoned in view of the need for a sudden election.Meanwhile, to stress that it means business, the EC today got cracking against public hoardings and wall graffiti on public buildings in the Capital. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi has been instructed to remove any hoarding carrying messages or pictures of political leaders or incorporating any political message displayed on public property.Traffic islands, roadside space and walls of government buildings or institutions funded by the government, municipalities and educational institutions will all be out of bounds for political campaigners. Similar instructions have also being sent down to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories.The Commission has summoned representatives of the electronic media, including all private television channels, major independent producers and representatives of the Prasar Bharati Corporation for discussions on their coverage of the polls.The meeting with the audio-visual media on January 12 is expected to draw guidelines on the programmes relating not only to the political parties and candidates, but also current affairs, and other presentations on the election process, actual voting and the promotion of free and fair polls.The EC has also sought a detailed factual report from the Railway Board following a complaint that Railway Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had allegedly misused the Railway guest-house in Lucknow.The three-member commission, which passed this directive has cautioned the Railways that individual officers would be held personally responsible for any misuse of such premises during the poll process. In its order, the EC also put a blanket ban on issue of complimentary cards and cheque passes by the Railway Ministry or the Board till the polls are over.
