No proxy voting will be allowed: CEO Nagaland
Our Correspondent
Kohima | February 21
With five days left for Nagaland polls, Nagaland’s chief electoral officer Abhijit Sinha today said that election campaigning by the political party and candidate should be stopped 48 hours ahead of the close of the poll, i.e 4 pm on February 25.
“The campaigning in any election has to end 48 hours before the close, date and time of the poll,” he said, adding that any type of campaigning have to end by 4 pm on February 25.
He said all the star campaigners and other who are not from the constituency should leave the constituency before 4 pm on February 25,” Sinha told the press conference here today.
He also said that no advertisement of any type of the political parties and candidates should come out or be broadcasted in any manner after the 4 pm February 25 deadline.
One person, one vote
Sinha said every elector should vote by himself or herself and no proxy voting is allowed.
Stating that proxy voting is illegal, he said “Neither the head of the family for the family members nor the village council for the village electors are allowed to vote for others.”
He directed the presiding officers and the polling parties not to allow such malpractices in his/her assigned polling stations. “If such malpractices are detected the votes polled at that polling station will become null and void and action will be initiated against the defaulter as well as the polling officials,” he said.
57 arrested for polls violence
Sinha said except some incidents in Wokha and Mokokchung districts, it has been by and large peaceful.
Till date, 11 cases have been filed and 42 arrested in Mokokchung district. In Wokha district, nine cases have been filed and 15 people arrested. One suo-motu case has been taken in Chizami in Phek district.
Sinha said the overall electioneering process has been going well, adding that 700 permissions have been given for different types of political activities across the state.
With five more days left for poll, we are doing our best to do election fairly and freely, said N. Moa Aier, additional chief electoral officer of Nagaland.
One jawan dies on poll duty
Sinha said one jawan of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) passed away on poll duty on February 15 due to heart attack in Tuensang. An ex-gratia amounting to Rs. 10 lakh was immediately given to the deceased by DEO Tuensang.
Earlier, the department of health & family welfare has notified that all public health facilities of the department are empanelled for providing cashless treatment to polling personnel/ CAPF to ensure provision of good quality treatment as well as cater to any kind of medical emergencies.
Assured minimum facilities
CEO said as desired by the ECI, all efforts are being made to ensure Assured Minimum Facilities such as electricity, drinking water, toilets, ramp etc to all the 2196 polling stations across the state. Regarding requisition of vehicles for polls, Sinha said 19,000 vehicles have been requisitioned.
