Chamba: Ahead of poll, political parties briefed about model code of conduct, ad rules

Chamba, March 15

Deputy Commissioner and District Electoral Officer Mukesh Repaswal on Friday convened a meeting with representatives of political parties in the view of upcoming Lok Sabha elections (2024).

In the meeting, rules applicable for the implementation of the model code of conduct (MCC) were discussed.

The DC apprised the representatives of political parties about the rules related to advertisement certification, effective compliance with the MCC, and various processes related to the elections.

He said prospective voters could register their names in the voter list till 10 days before the deadline for nominations.

Immediately after the announcement of the MCC, all the advertisement material would be removed from government premises within 24 hours, he added.

Similarly, the deadline for removing billboards from public property was fixed at 48 hours, and such material should be removed from private property within 72 hours, he said.

The Deputy Commissioner said no political party or candidate could carry out activities such as putting up banners, writing slogans, sticking pamphlets, etc., on land, buildings, walls or vehicles without the owner’s permission. Repswal said complaints related to the violation of the code of conduct could also be made through the C-Vigil app. Such complaints would be resolved at earliest, he added.

Additional District Magistrate Rahul Chauhan conducted the proceedings of the meeting. Tehsildar (Election) Anoop Dogra, Naib Tehsildar Sanjay Shandil, and representatives from political parties — Dhiraj Narayan, Govardhan Ahuja and Deepak Kumar — were present at the meeting

Preparations for the Lok Sabha elections are on at full swing with training for nodal officers and the election staff being conducted.

Regarding the roles and responsibilities of various nodal officers and the impartial and peaceful conduct during the Lok Sabha elections, the DC said there was no possibility of any errors in the election process.

Since it is essential for officials concerned to have complete knowledge of the guidelines set by the Election Commission of India, they have been instructed to obtain information from the guidebook prepared by the commission. Orders have also been issued to enhance sweep activities (organised voter education and electoral participation programmes) in the district.

Emphasis was being laid on organising such activities in rural areas and polling centres with low voter turnout in previous elections, the DC said.