Don’t disturb level playing field: EC tells govt.
The Election Commission on Thursday reiterated that all government references proposed to be placed before the Cabinet or any committee of the Cabinet must be routed to the poll panel through the Cabinet Secretariat.
Despite its standing orders beginning March 2014, there was a tendency to flout the instructions, the EC noted. Matters related to the Cabinet were being directly sent to the Commission, that too at the last moment, leaving no time for the EC to appropriately consider the issue. Last month, the EC had written to the Cabinet Secretariat stating that the Ministries of Defence and Finance, besides the NITI Aayog, had taken certain decisions that disturbed the level playing field in poll-bound States. — Special Correspondent