Cycles to cut poll expenses

With the Election Commission deciding to include money spent on vehicles within the overall expenditure limit, the CPI(M) has decided to use bicycles for electioneering.

For this, the party's Central Committee, whose two-day meeting concluded yesterday, has decided to arrange for a large number of bicycles to carry banners and flags during canvassing.

The committee, which was critical of the EC's approach to elections in West Bengal, decided to send a delegation to the commission to protest "discrepancies" in its actions.

What the committee members were most perturbed about was the EC's directive against wall writings and decision to hold five-phase polls in West Bengal and three-phase polls in Kerala.

CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said the EC's steps were "not reasonable" and did not strengthen the democratic process. "You may have a special situation in Jammu & Kashmir where security considerations are paramount. But Kerala always had one-day poll. We are not able to understand the rationale for it," he said.

He was also critical of the commission's directive that prevented a citizen from putting up banners at his own house. "I don't see how it strengthens the democratic process", he said.

In context of the ban on wall writings, the CPI(M) leader argued that the party could not afford to advertise in electronic and print media.