No poll duty for MP, MLA having security cover -- EC

No poll duty for MP, MLA having security cover -- EC
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, FEB 15: The Election Commission today said that MPs and MLAs having security cover should not be allowed to function as polling agents or the counting agents of any candidate in elections.

The directives of the poll panel comes in the wake of a request from the Congress in Andhra Pradesh to permit the party MLA to function as polling agents in Giddalur and Badvel assembly constituencies going to polls on February 19.

The Commission said in a letter to Chief Secretaries and Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories that MPs and MLAs with their security personnel cannot be allowed to enter and remain inside the polling stations and counting centres.

"Nor can they, whose security requirements have been assessed by the state authorities be asked to remain inside the polling stations or the counting centres without their security cover that they are required to have by virtue of the assessment of the state government concerned," the Commission said.

"They cannot also be allowed to jeopardize their security by surrendering the same, even if they do so on their own, as the security cover is not a matter of one's own choice to be exercised by recipient of such security," it said.

The commission said it had been observed that sometimes in the elections, a candidate appoints a MP or a MLA as his polling agent or counting agent.

There had been objections raised from several quarters where this had occurred, on the ground that the polling and counting personnel felt overawed by the presence of MP or the MLA appointed as polling agents or counting agents, it said.

A Congress delegation from Andhra Pradesh had recently met Election Commission T S Krishnamurty and alleged that the ruling TDP was misusing the power in the two assembly constituencies.

The delegation alleged that in the last four successive elections there was no free and fair polling in these two constituencies as there were no strong polling agents in Congress, the commission sources said.