EC to focus on 'inducement-free' LS elections in K’taka, says top official

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena said on Wednesday that the focus is to have an "inducement-free" Lok Sabha elections in the state with strict vigilance on "star campaigners" and ensure a level playing field in the entire process.

Noting that more than muscle power, it's the inducement issue that the southern states face in the election process, he told PTI in an interview. "Our focus is to have an inducement-free and fair election. We will put more effort and teams to ensure it is free, fair and peaceful."

"We have almost 14 enforcement agencies from the Central as well as the state government which will keep an eye on everything. We started this exercise six months ago with Income Tax, Enforcement Directorate, Customs, Director of Revenue Intelligence, Narcotics Bureau, Excise…all part of this (exercise) are keeping tabs on where the money, drugs, liquor is flowing…who are the kingpins and where it is being stored. So we have an advanced vigilance on them (political parties)," he added.

Meena also said there is heightened vigilance at all the 172 interstate police and nearly 60 excise check posts by Election Commission officials since last month. "Keeping close surveillance on the activities there and extensive checking of all the vehicles passing by. Keeping tabs on if there is flow of any cash, drugs or liquor from its neighbouring states".

"We need to ensure that it is a level playing field. The party in power should not take advantage during campaigning…be it state or the union government. Being in power should not be taken as an advantage.. if they don't follow the Model Code of Conduct, then as per the existing laws, we will take action against them," Meena said.

Training has been conducted at various levels – the full election machinery, district election officers, superintendents of police and the district machineries till the polling officials, the expenditure monitoring team, the MCC team, he said. "We will keep an eye on all the political campaigners, especially the star campaigners. If a star campaigner comes to a constituency, then our video surveillance team will record their full speech from start to end without any break," Meena said.

"Our teams will keep a tab on the expenditure by them. How big the stage is, how many chairs were placed, venues used for campaigns. How many vehicles were used. All these are essential for calculating the expenditure. "If we find that anything they spoke violated the MCC, then immediate action will be taken against them as per strict guidelines from the Election Commission of India," he said.

According to Meena, all the sensitive areas across Karnataka have been identified based on previous election experience -- be it Assembly or Gram Panchayat election wherever there was a history of trouble and cases of inducement as per data. Extra teams have been put up at expenditure-sensitive constituencies to keep a strict vigil for any kind of inducement. Those people who can create trouble on the day of the election have been identified.

Police have initiated legal action under various CrPC sections against potential "trouble makers", including those booked under the Goondas Act who can probably threaten the voters. Stating that the schedule for Lok Sabha elections can be declared any moment, he said the state election commission is ready in "all senses", adding, the voter list is ready.

"After the Karnataka Assembly election (in May last year), during August-September, we did the first internal checking of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). We had to clean it (machine), the old results had to be erased and prepare the machines. All this was done in front of the political parties," he said.

Highlighting the recent press statement by the Election Commission, he urged political parties and its candidates to refrain from criticising any individual during their election campaigns. They can criticise the policies but should refrain from using abusive words or using caste as a slur or use religious places for campaigns.