CEO calls for impartiality during Madurai bypoll

Madurai, Mar 15 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Naresh Gupta today asked the state administration to be impartial and ensure a conducive atmosphere for holding a free and fair poll in the byelection to the state Assembly from Madurai West, the date for which is to be announced.

Answering questions from newspersons after a review meeting here, he said the officials transferred earlier at the instance of the EC would not be drafted for any work pertaining to the byelection.

During the bypoll to the Madurai Central Assembly constituency, the Deputy Election Commissioner visited the city to hold an inquiry about the charges levelled against a few officials leading to their transfer, he recalled.

Such a situation should not recur this time and the district administration had to be vigilant to ensure this, he added.

When his attention was drawn to the fact that the transferred officials had been reinstated in the same posts, Mr Gupta said they would be kept off the borders of the constituency so as not to interfere with any of the poll related work.

The CEO disclosed that booth-level officers like the Village Administrative Officers and Bill Collectors would henceforth be entrusted with the task of updating the photo electoral rolls for keeping them ready any time. As updating of the rolls was a continuous process, they would be given necessary training in this regard.

Downplaying the charges of foul play against the lower rung officials during the previous electoral roll revision besides the reported workload, he said there was no other alternative. It had been a success in states where the EC had implemented this, he pointed out.

He said the Election Commission had decided to set up a Photo Electoral Roll (PER) videography centre in each assembly constituency in the state to make easier the process of registration for addition and deletion. The Commission was for 100 per cent coverage of the PER and as such stuffing of voters in the list would be resisted, he added.

On delimitation of constituencies, Mr Gupta said a meeting would be held at three places in the state shortly to ascertain the views of the public on the important issue. A report based on that would be forwarded to the Election Commission for taking a decision, he added.

UNI