Shimla:A three member Election Commission is to pay a two day visit to the, starting on 17th November, to oversee the preparations for the conduct of the second phase of polling that is scheduled for 19th December.
The team will be headed by election commissioner Navin Chawla and would include deputy election commissioner R Balakrishnan and commission secretary KF Wilfed, official sources said.
Security arrangement for the districts of Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur would be discussed on November 17 and for the districts on the following day said the election department official.
To ensure a level playing field, the commission has deputed 40 election observers for Himachal, who would also keep a vigil on the expenditure incurred by political parties and individual candidates during the campaign.
Mass SMS Ban
The election commission has issued instructions banning the use of election related Short Message Service (SMS) over mobile phones, 48 hours before the electorate goes to the poll, an election official said.
Any violation of the directive would be tracked in less than 30 minutes with the assistance of Telecom companies and action would be taken against the violator, the election commission directive warned.
Lahual-Spiti EVMs Airlifted To Kullu
With the successful airlifting of the polled Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from Lahaula and Spiti to Kullu, operation of conducting the first phase of poll to the state general assembly stands completed, chief electoral officer Manisha Nanda stated.
After airlifting the EVMs from Lahaul and Spiti, they have been safely stored at Kullu she said.
Voters Warned Against Being Registered And Voting At Two Places
Gearing up for the conduct of second phase of elections to the 65 assembly segments, to be held on 19th December, Nanda advised voters to ensure that they were registered in at one place within a assembly constituency or in one constituency only, if the elector has residences in more than one assembly segment.
She said that it has been observed that out of ignorance some electors get their names at two or more places, which is barred under legal provisions, she added. “If violations of the statutory provisions come into notice then the Election Department would initiate necessary legal action as per above provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, warned Nanda.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
