Poll panel deploys 200 expenditure observers

The Election Commission (EC) has deployed about 200 expenditure observers in the five poll-bound States to keep a watch on abuse of money power to influence voters.

On Sunday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi and Election Commissioners A.K. Joti and O.P. Rawat briefed the Expenditure Observers drawn from various services on measures to be taken to check malpractices as part of the Model Code of Conduct guidelines.

Separate bank accounts

The CEC also apprised the observers of the new instructions issued by the Commission.

If any payment exceeding ₹20,000 is made to individuals or entities during the course of election, it should only be through account payee cheque. Also, the candidates are required to open separate bank accounts at the time of nomination and to incur all election-related expenditure through that account only. The expenditure incurred on the candidate’s booths for distribution of voter slips on the day of election, would also be accounted for in the account of the candidate.

Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat expressed concern over the use of partially or fully owned newspapers and channels by the candidate or their sponsoring parties for electioneering. Instructions have been issued to ensure that the expenditure on the same is to be included in the account of the candidate as per notified rate cards.

On the mechanism of election expenditure monitoring, the expenditure observers were also briefed by Deputy Election Commissioners, Umesh Sinha, Vijay Dev, Director-Generals Dilip Sharma, Sudeep Jain, and Directors Dhirendra Ojha and Vikram Batra.