Ensure level playing field during Assembly polls: EC team tells Haryana officials

Chandigarh: The Election Commission has directed district election officers and superintendents of police in Haryana to act with complete impartiality and ensure a level playing field for free and fair Assembly elections.

Underscoring its focus on an inducement-free poll process, the commission directed the enforcement agencies to work in a coordinated manner to curb the inflow of illicit liquor, cash and drugs.

The directions were issued by an Election Commission (EC) team led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

The team is on a two-day visit of Haryana to review poll preparedness for assembly elections, likely to be held later this year.

The term of the 90-member Haryana Assembly is due to expire on November 3.

The EC team, also comprising election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, arrived in Chandigarh on Monday.

During the visit, the team met representatives of national and state parties such as AAP, BJP, CPI(M), Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

The political parties raised several issues, including the conduct of free and fair elections with strict action against the misuse of government machinery, deployment of adequate forces in sensitive polling stations, and requests to reduce the distance between polling stations and improve facilities for the elderly and women voters.

Concerns were also raised about the inaccessibility of election observers for timely grievance redress, a release said.

The EC assured the parties' representatives that it had taken cognisance of their suggestions and concerns and said it was committed to conducting free, fair, participative, inclusive, peaceful and inducement-free elections.

Regarding the parties' concerns over the misuse of government machinery when the Model Code of Conduct is in place, the EC directed the district election officers, superintendents of police and the state administration to act with complete impartiality.

The district election officers were specifically told to be equally accessible to all political parties and ensure prompt resolution of their complaints and grievances, apart from meeting them regularly through periodic meetings, the release said.

They were also asked to ensure assured minimum facilities, including ramps, wheelchairs and volunteers, for the elderly and persons with disabilities at all polling stations.

"All polling stations will be on the ground floor and within two kilometres of the residences of voters," the statement said.

Observers will be accessible to all parties and voters during the election period and their contact information made public by the district election officers.

Directions were also issued to monitor social media for fake news.

On Tuesday, the team held a review meeting with nearly 20 central and state enforcement agencies, including the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Reserve Bank of India, Haryana Police, Income Tax and the Enforcement Directorate.

The EC conveyed its zero-tolerance policy towards the use of money power in the elections, it said.

Cohort-wise route maps were identified to keep a strict vigil on movement, stockpiling and distribution of any kind of inducements, it added.

The EC also ordered that strict action be taken against liquor and drug kingpins in the state.

The agencies were asked to share intelligence, work in a coordinated manner and introduce round-the-clock CCTV monitoring at critical check posts along interstate borders.

The agencies concerned were also asked to monitor for unscheduled chartered flights and helipads for any movement of goods.

For the first time during the assembly polls in Haryana, senior citizens above 85 years of age and people with 40 per cent benchmark disability will be provided the option to vote from home, the EC said.

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal told the EC team that according to the draft electoral roll published on August 2, there were 2.01 crore electors -- 1.06 crore male and 0.95 crore female -- registered in the state.

More than 4.52 lakh first-time voters, 2.55 lakh voters above the age of 85 and 1.5 lakh persons with disabilities are registered to vote in the elections. More than 10,000 voters are older than 100.

The final roll will be published on August 27.

Agarwal said 20,629 polling stations would be set up for the elections, an increase of 817 from the 2019 elections.