CHENNAI: Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa on Thursday directed the officers in Tamil Nadu to intensify ‘effective and visible’ measures to check money power during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. He said the Commission had received a lot of feedback about the abuse of money power.
“Comprehensive monitoring by GPS-enabled squads and Static surveillance teams, checking at border check-posts and strict vigil on liquor, freebies and cash transfer movements have also been emphasised during the two-day meeting with top officials of the State government,” the EC said, addressing a press conference here.
“Keeping in view the sensitivity to expenditure-related issues, minimum two expenditure observers for every Parliamentary constituency have been deployed for strict vigil. In addition, a special expenditure observer has also been deployed at the State level for Tamil Nadu,” Lavasa pointed out.
Responding to a question about the increasing number of seizures of unaccounted money and material in Tamil Nadu, the EC said, “So far, in Tamil Nadu, Rs 127-crore unaccounted money has been seized. This is certainly much more than the amount seized during the previous elections. Important measures have already been taken and vigilance has been kept.”
Replying to a question when those involved in the seizures would be brought to book, Ashok Lavasa said, “Prosecution of those involved in the seizures is not done by the EC. Finding evidence, linking the seizures and then establishing that this was meant for election process are done by the investigating agencies.”
Answering many questions on the follow-up action being taken regarding the huge seizure of money in the Vellore parliamentary constituency, Lavasa said, “The Commission would take a decision after examining the report of the IT department in this regard.”
Pointing out that the Commission had zero tolerance for any negligence or proven malafide of officials, he said officials should not indulge in any overt or covert party activity.
On the declaration of Rs 1.76 lakh crore as assets by a candidate in the Perambur Assembly constituency,, the EC said, “As per the rules, the RO is not authorised to go into the veracity of the declaration made by the candidate. It would not be possible for ROs to check the contents of the affidavits.”
When asked how the EC had allotted the Cooker symbol to four independent candidates who bear similar names of the candidates of a party, the EC said “We act according to the symbols order and various provisions of the law. This is a quasi-judicial function that we exercise and this is not the forum to discuss this case.”