People who give cash for votes as well as those who accept the money will now be punishable by law with imprisonment of up to one year. The punishment could include imprisonment or fine or both, District Election Officer S.B. Deepak Kumar informed the political parties at a meeting here on Thursday.
The election officials are currently checking the Union Territory for volatile booths, and they will be earmarked by the end of the week. Currently, 120 sectoral officers were in the process of monitoring the areas.
To monitor the transport of alcohol, the Election Department had set up seven excise teams at the borders. There would also be an additional four flying squads. There will be an additional 26 flying squads and 36 static squads to check for the proper conduct of election, he said.
Since there was a ban on wall advertisements and campaigning, the officers were currently checking and removing all illegal advertisements. All people who currently hold arms will have to deposit them with their respective police station until the end of the election process.
For public meetings and loudspeakers, the political parties have been asked to get prior permission from the Returning Officer and loudspeakers would not be allowed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The District Level Media Certification and Monitoring Committee has been set up to keep a tab on all paid news. The political parties will have to inform it before placing advertisements in electronic and print media. The committee will be monitoring all political advertisements to check for violations, he said.
In the meanwhile, a ban on demonstrations has been imposed under Section 144 in and around the Revenue Complex in Villianur for the period of two months.
