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Single-phase election for three States

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Monday announced single-phase Assembly polls in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Each State has 60 members in the Assembly.

Tripura will go to the polls on February 23, Meghalaya on March 3 and Nagaland on March 5.

Counting of votes in Tripura and Meghalaya will be taken up on March 7, while in Nagaland, it will be on March 8. Electronic voting machines will be used in all the polling booths.

Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami, flanked by Commissioners Navin Chawla and S.Y. Quraishi, announced the schedule at a press conference here. He said the present terms of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura Assemblies were due to end on March 10, March 13 and March 19 respectively. There are about 12.30 lakh electors in Meghalaya; 13 lakh in Nagaland and 20.30 lakh in Tripura.

He said the Model Code of Conduct would come into effect immediately. It would apply to all the candidates, political parties, State governments and the Union government.

He said in Meghalaya and Tripura, photo electoral rolls had been completed and would be used for easy identification of voters.

The CEC said: “The Commission expects all officials engaged in the conduct of elections to discharge their duties in an impartial manner without any fear or favour. Several instructions have been issued from time to time to ensure impartiality of officials who are engaged in conduct of elections. The conduct of all government officials who have been entrusted with election-related responsibilities and duties would remain under constant scrutiny of the Commission and strict action shall be taken against those officials who are found wanting on any account.”

Mr. Gopalaswami said the Commission had already given instructions that no election official or police officer of the rank of Sub Inspector and above would be allowed to continue in his home district. Instructions had been issued that all election officials, including police personnel, who had completed three years in a district during the last four years, should be transferred out of that district.

The CEC said Central forces and personnel drawn from other States would be deployed during the polls. General and expenditure observers would also be deployed.

The CEC said detailed guidelines were issued for video coverage of all critical events during the election process and polling at all vulnerable booths on poll day. Digital cameras would be installed inside booths wherever needed, he added.

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