Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission
had evolved an effective system to monitor the expenditure
by candidates and to check `paid news` in media through
constant evaluation in the coming assembly elections, State
Chief Electoral Officer Nalini Netto said on Wednesday.
Addressing reporters here, she said all candidates were
required to open an exclusive bank account for campaign in
the election, scheduled for April 13 in the state. The
expenditure committee would monitor the spending from the day
a candidate gets nominated by a party, she said.
The maximum amount which could be spent by a candidate for
campaign was Rs 16 lakh. The EC had set up video surveillance
teams to observe the campaign of political parties. A shadow
observation register on spending would be kept as a folder of
evidence in the event of cases coming up against candidates
after the elections, she said.
Expert committees had also been formed at the state and
district levels to evaluate targetted news items in the media
in favour of or against a particular candidate or party, being
`planted for a consideration,` she said.
People were also asked not to carry cash in bulk without
citing proper reason as there would be checking by flying
squads during the campaign period.
Non-resident Keralites could also vote in the coming
elections in the polling station he belonged to as per the
address in the passport. The NRKs would have to apply through
Embassies.
The state electoral office would file daily reports on
the law and order situation in the state to the Election
Commission, based on which the EC would decide on sending
central forces to polling stations.
For the first time, the EC would provide the voter`s slip
to all voters.
In the first assembly election in the state based on the
voter`s list after the 2002 delimitation of constituencies,
Kerala has a total of 2,28,78,767 voters of which 1,09,59,115
are men and 1,19,19,652 are women.
There would be 20,578 polling stations and around 500
auxilliary polling stations for the poll. The EC would send 50
general observers, besides expenditure observers, Netto said.
After the model code of conduct for poll came into force
yesterday, she had received around 50 complaints of violation,
Netto said.
PTI
