EC looks to ensure 'fearless voting' in Gujarat

Says police has made a list of people who threaten voters in certain regions and force them to stay away from voting

Having chanced upon a list of people who threaten voters, the Election Commission of India is looking to ensure "fearless voting" in Gujarat for the upcoming general elections.

While refusing to divulge names and regions mentioned in the list, deputy election commissioner of India, Vinod Zutshi said, "The police has made a list of people who threaten voters in certain regions of the state and force them to stay away from voting. We are ensuring that such people are kept under control and that the state can see fearless voting. It is an attempt to bring in confidence among voters in Gujarat."

The EC officials held meetings with the six recognised political parties over issues of control and supervision on paid news, model code of conduct, expenditure monitoring and law & order. Zutshi said that manpower requirements of the police are also being looked into to ensure conducive law and order environment during polling. "We will be holding a workshop for political parties soon on these issues," Zutshi added.

Like other states, Zutshi said that Gujarat too will see 'None Of The Above (NOTA)' button being added in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the general elections.

Meanwhile, revealing the voters' list for Gujarat, Zutshi said that the total voter base had grown by 4.71 per cent to 39.87 million for the 2014 general elections as against 38 million in the 2012 state assembly elections. Among the voters' list, while female voters' base grew by 4.75 per cent to 19 million, that of male voters grew by 4.67 per cent to 20.8 million.