EC: Not easy to lure voters

Hyderabad

March 28: The Chief Electoral Officer, Dr I.V. Subba Rao, said the candidates contesting elections cannot trick the Election Commission and lure voters with money and liquor.
With a firm view to curtail corrupt practices, the EC has changed its earlier strategy of having three Central observers for each Lok Sabha segment. It has instead appointed one Central observer for each Assembly segment besides three LS observers.
In an interview with this newspaper the CEO highlighted the new initiatives taken to enroll voters, prepare electoral rolls with photographs. He also talked of the hiccups in distribution of voter identity cards and implementation of the model code. Dr Rao has already proved a tough nut when it comes to implementing the model code. The CEO has filed cases against the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, and the TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, during the byelections in Telangana districts a few months ago.
The CEO has warned that the candidates will be continuously monitored with their activities being caught on video.
The tough stand taken by the state election authorities can be gauged by the fact that Rs 1 crore was seized even before the election campaign had begun and 2,500 unauthorised liquor outlets, popularly known as belt shops, have been shut down.
Thanks to the strict enforcement, the wine dealers also offered to close their shops and urged the EC to order the government to restrict supplies.
Dr Rao dismissed the apprehensions that the party in power was put to hardships even as the Opposition parties were let off. “The ruling party will definitely have certain advantages because it is in power. The very spirit behind incorporating a separate chapter on dos and don’ts for the party in power is to be create a level playing field,” he pointed out.
The CEO denied that the election authorities overstepped by asking the finance department to release bills to irrigation contractors on first-come- first-serve basis? “No. We never intend to undermine other organs of Constitution,” the CEO said.
Maintaining that irrational disbursement of public money was noticed in payment of bills to irrigation contractors, he said the EC had a mandate of preventing misuse of public money during elections.