EC issues new guidelines for Nagaland polls

Election Commission has issued new guidelines to curb the menace of money power during the February 23 Nagaland assembly poll.

As per the new guideline every candidate is required to have a separate bank account for use in all election-related expenditures, EC Director General for Expenditure Monitoring, P K Dash told newsmen here today.

The expenditure ceiling as prescribed by EC is Rs eight lakh by each candidate, he said.

The guidelines were issued following concerns expressed over the problem and requests made by political parties to EC officials during their visit to the state to help check it.

As per the new guidelines there would be a large number of flying squads and static surveillance teams who will not only check the entry of illegal arms or liquor but also cash or gift items for bribing the electorate.

He said the EC would deploy a large number of surveillance teams to videograph all the major expenditures made by the candidates and political parties during the

electioneering process.

District election officers have been asked to strictly implement the guidelines for free and fair polls. "Our effort will be to have a clean election and try to curb the `money

power' to a substantial level," he said.

He said the EC team had met the state chief secretary, the director general of police and the home secretary with regard to general arrangements and reviewed the poll preparations and were satisfied with them.

Deputy Election Commissioner Sudhir Tripathi, who is here for the last three days, too reviewed poll preparations and matters relating to the model code of conduct.

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