Under no account should drugs, cash, liquor influence Punjab polls, says Election Commission

The officers will take stock of preparations for the smooth conduct of the elections on February 4.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), along with the two election commissioners, Wednesday held a meeting with the nodal officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Income Tax, Excise and Taxation and Transport department and gave directions to strictly implement the model code of conduct. The EC members, along with senior officials of the commission, arrived in Chandigarh on a two-day visit Wednesday.

The officers will take stock of preparations for the smooth conduct of the elections on February 4.

While reviewing the progress made by the respective departments after the imposition of the code of conduct, the CEC, Naseem Zaidi, emphasised that under no account should drugs, cash, liquor and other allurements influence the state assembly polls on February 4. The meeting was also attended by AK Joti and OP Rawat, Election Commissioners.

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The review of the activities of the committees formed at the district and sub division levels to address the drugs and liquor problem was also undertaken.

The district-level committee comprises the Deputy Commissioner as the Chairman, Commissioner of Police/Senior Superintendent of Police, representative of Narcotics Control Bureau, civil surgeon, representatives of income tax department and excise and taxation department as members.

Similarly, at sub-divisional level, the SDM is the chairman with the Deputy Superintendent of Police, member of state narcotics control bureau, representative of the drug controller or the health department, all circle revenue officers of sub divisional level and all SHOs of the sub division along with representative of the excise and taxation department as members.

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Meanwhile, Income Tax department has developed a mobile application to check the flow of cash in the Punjab Assembly polls.

The application will help the IT officials to get alerts regarding violation of expenditure limits by the respective candidates. Named “Election Eye”, the application can be used by the general public to post photographs of violations noticed by them. This application will be launched as a pilot project by the CEC and other commission members on January 12.