EC pulls up UDP candidate for flouting expenditure norms

The Election Commission has pulled United Democratic Party candidate Paul Lyngdoh for flouting prescribed expenditure norms, an official said today.
"We found the UDP candidate flouted norms of the EC with regards to floating an advertisement in a website without obtaining permission," Election Expenditure Observer for Shillong Lok Sabha seat, N T Sherpa, told PTI.
He said the candidate had floated an advertisement in a city-based website without obtaining necessary permission from the concerned Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) headed by Returning Officer Sanjay Goyal.
The mandate of the committee was to handle pre-certification of advertisements which are of political nature telecast either on the local cable or carried in print and electronic media, including online media.

Paul Lyngdoh in his reply to the MCMC denied personally issuing any advertisement in the website, but blamed his supporters of having floated it on his behalf.
The website owner was also questioned for floating the advertisement without having any certification from the MCMC.
Www.Ohmeghalaya.Com editor T Rai said the advertisement was issued by a close aide of Lyngdoh for an amount of Rs 20,000 to be aired till April 7.
The Election Observer is looking at the written replies of all concerned in this regard and actions would be taken as per norms of the EC, an official said.