CEO holds meeting with representatives of political parties in Pb

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Karuna Raju Tuesday held a meeting with representatives of various political parties here, an official said.

Stating that the model code of conduct had come into force with the announcement of election schedule, Raju told the representatives that it should be adhered to in letter and spirit.

Payment in excess of Rs 10,000, related to poll expenditure, can be made only through cheques, Raju said in the meeting attended by representatives of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) among others.

Each candidate is permitted to spend up to Rs 70 lakh subject to submission of a complete record of all transactions to the concerned returning officer, he said.

The party members were informed about various aspects of election process including the code of conduct, EVM/VVPAT awareness, paid news, media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC) and the nomination process.

Raju said MCMC was constituted at the state and district levels and that certification was to be sought from the local MCMC before floating any publicity content.

The committees will keep a vigil on all the publicity activities of candidates and political parties, he said.

Advertisements on radio, print, electronic and social media along with other methods of outdoor publicity and paid news would be under their scrutiny, he added.

During the meeting, the security features and availability of EVMs was explained and a live demo of EVM/VVPAT machines was given to dispel their doubts if any.