Banners missing as election fever grips Prayag

Allahabad, Apr 30: The holy city of Prayag is in the grip ofelection fever but there is something missing. Those big banners,colourful posters and lengthy wall writing are not present to attractvoters.

Election Commission's rigid instructions are threatening candidates from all parties.

Some candidates and parties have not digested the order yet and are getting notices from EC daily.

Polling for 11 constituencies in Allahabad is going to take place on May 3 in the sixth phase of assembly elections.

There is a neck-and-neck fight in Allahabad South, North and Westconstituencies. Candidates are in campaigning mood for their partiesand trying to convince voters to support them at the hustings.

Number of public assemblies and press conferences are increasingday-by-day. Everything is usual, In Karchana constituency, invigilatorG Bajaralingam visited different villages and took note of wallwriting, posters, flags on government properties. He directed the SDMto issue notice to BSP, SP and Congress. SDM Triloki Singh has issued anotice and warned them.

In Meja, invigilator Neelkalnth Alhar visited his constituency andfound two candidates guilty of wall writing. He filed a case againstcontempt of election ethics on both the candidates from Apna Dal andBSP.

To make voters bold and create fearless atmosphere for a free andfair election, invigilators are playing their roles well. This evidenceis enough that during last election, mobile number of invigilators werenot in public domain, but in current election, numbers are beingpublished in newspapers.

Mr R N Pandey, a BSNL employee, says such steps of ElectionCommission are practical and in public interest. ''Now we do not haveto think again and again for our candidate. They are not present tomisguide us with their beautiful and colouful posters and marvellousbanners.'' Mrs Lalmani, a house wife from Sulem Sarai area seems gladwith this decision. She says last time her ''boundary wall got writtenwith some slogans of a party and she had to get it whitewashed again.The worst thing is that you support someone else and in morning, youget your wall full of another name that you do not support,'' she adds.

Prashant, an Engineering student in IERT College believes thatthis is a bold and right step of Election Commission. ''Students usedto get late due to poster campaigns and processions,'' he said.

Patients used to get late to reach hospitals and ''there wassenseless campaigning by posters and banners because when we decide tovote for someone, we just see his or her previous track record andqualifications and the performance of his or her party not theirnumbers of posters, banners and wall writings,'' he added.

By and large, the people seem happy with the EC directives, that seek to reform the electoral process.

UNI

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