CEC to held meeting of top officials on Phase III polls in K'taka

Dharwad, May 13 (UNI) Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalswamy today held a meeting of Deputy Commissioners, who are also District Electoral Officers and discussed the poll preparations for the third phase of elections to Karnataka Assembly, covering eight districts of north Karnataka region on May 22.

He also held discussions with the representatives of political parties recognized by the election commission and received suggestions and complaints from them.

Election Commissioners Dr S Y Khureshi and Naveen Chawla and State Electoral Officer M N Vidyashankar accompanied the CEC.

Later, talking to newsmen, Mr Gopalswamy expressed concern over political parties using ''Stree Shakti'' organization and warned action against such incidents.

He said he has directed the concerned to initiate action against candidates distributing money through social and cultural activities by arranging programmes, besides paying money for 'pooja' made by women.

The CEC said so far the election commission has received 1915 complaints involving an amount of Rs 60 crore of which Rs 16 crore was cash and the remaining in the form of liquor and other goods.

Mr Gopalswamy expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made for the third phase of polling and said voters who do not have any alternative identity proof would be provided with a single identity card with which the whole family could vote. The EC has already made survey and has the figure of people who do not have any identity card.

He assured that these people would be provided id cards after the elections free of cost.

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