Election Commission’s ‘Eagle Eye’ on candidates

Mysore, March 26, 2013:

In a bid to keep vigil on the expenses incurred by candidates during the coming Assembly elections, the Election Commission (EC) has written a letter to various Departments of the Central Government to provide details of officials to be nominated as Election Supervisors/Accounting Chiefs to verify the accounts and work as shadow observers.

The EC has sent letters to all the district headquarters across the state.

The EC has also written letters to Mysore City Police Commissioner, Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, Superintendents of Police and Excise Department and Assistant Commissioners to send a list of officers to register complaints of overspending in relation to the election at the District Control Room set up at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner.

An official communications said these officials will probe any withdrawal of Rs. 1 lakh or more in a day by a candidate besides bringing to the notice of the Income Tax Department any suspicious transactions above Rs. 10 lakh. All the Regional Offices of all the banks in the district too have been asked to inform the Income Tax Department on suspicious deals.

Teams probing the expenses of candidates have been asked to deposit the seized amount from such candidates after working hours of the Income Tax Department with the Manager, State Bank of Mysore Main Branch and the Chief Manager of the Bank has already been informed about this in the state.

The teams have also been asked to watch the activities of financiers, pawn-brokers, hawala agents and those running financial institutions and report their activities to the Income Tax Department as well as the Office of the Election Commission and the Dept. of Co-operation, Mysore and District Registration Officer, who too have been informed.

The team is also entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the list of places where marriages, meetings, conventions and party rallies are held and probe into suspicious cases and provide daily reports to the MCC, CEO of Mysore ZP or Project Director of District Urban Development Agency (DUDA), who have also been directed to act swiftly.

City Police Commissioner, SP and MCC Commissioner have been informed to conduct inspection of venues where election meetings and rallies will be organized until the completion of the election process.

Excise Dy. Commissioner has been asked to collect daily details of liquor stored at liquor shops to curb distribution of liquor among voters besides keeping a watch on all wine stores, bars and restaurants, retail liquor outlets and other liquor distribution centers.

The vigilance squad has been asked to keep a watch on all distilleries and illegal liquor manufacturing and transporting units /ENN