Election Commission taking steps to ensure free and fair elections

New Delhi, Mar 16 (ANI): The Election Commission (EC) has said it was taking all possible steps to ensure free and fair general elections.

Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami on Sunday said that video cameras would be used to track candidates with criminal records.

"There are important things which we have advised our observers to look for.

One is the vulnerability mapping and the other is excellence communication plan to the last polling station. We have specifically told them that they will have to track surrogate ends, advertisements, news items, mass wedding sessions, birthday parties, marriage parties and so on. Video tracking of important events and use of cameras and video cameras will be extensive," he said.

Around 1.1 million electronic voting machines will be used across the nation to elect 543 MPs.

Voting would be held in five phases in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. Elections are staggered in four phases in Bihar.

With just a month and a half to go, parties are reaching out to each other for pre-election tie-ups.

Many analysts and pollsters say no party is likely to emerge with a clear majority from the election, possibly leading to weeks or even months of political uncertainty as parties negotiate for power just as the once booming economy has been hit by a downturn. (ANI)