Keeping an 'eye' on campaigners

The Election Commission of India has deployed a ‘video vigilance team’ to check violation of model code of conduct. Not only the candidates but also their supporters will be under watch.

“It’s very difficult. The team follows us wherever we go and whoever we talk to,” a worker of a major political party told Deccan Herald.

The five teams with two people each, will track the candidates during the campaign and record their conversations with voters and others, said M Sharanabasappa, an election officer. A five-member separate team will examine the videos recorded by the teams and verify the violation of poll code, if any, during electioneering.

Mobile squad

A mobile squad, led by the panchayat development officer (PDO) and accompanied by a gunman, will tour the constituency to keep vigil on the poll-related malpractices. It will submit a report to the election commission.

Besides, eight excise check-posts and eight supervising teams have been ensuring strict implementation of the poll code.

14 in poll fray

Fourteen persons are contesting the bypoll for the Koppal Assembly constituency, after five people withdrew their nomination papers on Monday, the last day for withdrawal of the papers. Polling is on September 26. 

Shankarnayak Mungali, Rajashekhara Sharanayya Puranikmutt, Shambhulingegowda, Chakravarthi Nayak (Kranthikari Samajwadi Party), and Jamiruddin Mouli (National Development Party) withdrew their papers.

The candidates in fray are Sanganna Karadi (BJP), K Basavaraj Itnal (Congress), Pradeepgowda Patil (JD-S), Nirmala Mallikarjuna Hadapada, Sanna Moulasab, Basappa Shan­ka­ra­ppa, Vittappa Gorantli, H M Ahesanulla Patel, Yamanurappa Mariyappa, Sangamesh Hiremath, Mansoor Basha, Mounesh Shankarappa, Vasudev (all Independents), and Sharanagowda Neelanagowda (Republican Party of India).