Squad to control money, muscle power

***Chief Election Commissioner of India VS Sampath briefing the media at Pinewood Hotel, Tuesday. TM Photo***

SHILLONG, JAN 8: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will appoint “flying squad” in different districts of Meghalaya to keep a tap on the use of” money and muscle” power during the voting in the upcoming Meghalaya assembly election.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) VS Sampath told reporters during a media conference Tuesday at Hotel Pinewood after the meeting with Meghalaya chief secretary WMS Pariat, Meghalaya principal secretary (home) KS Kropha, Meghalaya Director General of Police (DGP) Kulbir Kishen , state election department officials, deputy commissioners, Superintendent of Police (SPs) of all the districts and political parties that to ensure holding of a “free, fair, peaceful election without compromise” it would appoint flying squad to monitor movement of “money and use of muscle” power during the voting.

Sampath, who was in Meghalaya for a one day visit after his whirlwind tour to Nagaland and Tripura to oversee the election preparedness as these two north eastern states which are also going to polls along with Meghalaya, informed that during the ECI meeting with the political parties in Shillong concerns were raise by some political parties about the possible use of money and muscle powers during voting.

Sampath assured that under the comprehensive expenditure monitoring instruction ever conceivable instances of money power has been envisage and plans to tackle it by setting up of complaint monitoring cells and “flying squads” in every district who will go to the spot where there is evident of movement of cash or other objects to see that they don’t exercise undue influence on the voters during the polls.

Speaking about the perceived threat to voters and the process of election in Garo hills from militants, Sampath said, “I have directed the DCs and SPs to prepare vulnerability mapping of polling stations where there is a threat by unruly elements.”

On the shortage of ratio of the state population and the electoral roll registration percentage, Sampath said, “There is just a slight shortfall of just one and half percent in the registration of voters and hopefully this gap will be filled up by the time.” The ideal ratio of voters’ registration should be fifty percent of the total population of the state and Meghalaya is short by just one and half percent:- By Our Reporter