Election commission to review poll preparations today

A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the notification for the state assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami along with commissioners Naveen Chawla and S Y Quraishi will be in the city on Friday to review the preparations.

Gopalaswami is expected to hold consultations with the leaders of all the political parties. The Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) have welcomed holding the elections in three phases. The parties have been asked to submit their representations if any on the election notification.

The ECI has identified several sensitive and hyper-sensitive polling booths in the state. Elections in such booths are being held in the third phase under strict security.

State Chief Electoral Officer M N Vidyashankar has been instructed to prepare a plan for these booths in association with the police.

Meanwhile, the ECI has directed all the political parties to adhere to the election code of conduct.

Vidyashankar said all political parties have been instructed not to put up unauthorised hoarding, posters and buntings at public places in the city during the campaign.

As per rules, all political parties have to seek prior permission from the local urban bodies before displaying hoardings and posters.

A certain fee has to be paid to the civic bodies for putting up the campaign material in public places under the

Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1981.

"We have informed the political parties that displaying posters and buntings without authorisation could attract criminal charges as per the Act," he added.

The process of appointing Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers in all districts has been completed, he said.

About 2.5 lakh persons are required for election duty to conduct polls in the state, Vidyashankar said adding that only ten per cent of the staff remained to be drafted with rest having been named.

The state government had released Rs 40 crore out of Rs 55 crore sought to meet election expenses and had promised to release the balance as and when required, Vidyashankar said.