Express News Service
LUCKNOW: While reviewing preparations for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the full bench of Election Commission of India comprising Chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra, election commissioners Rajiv Kumar, Anup Chandra Pandey, and other top 10 met the senior administrative and police officials here on Wednesday.
After going through the revised electoral lists and analyzing the ratio of male and female voters, the poll officers met divisional commissioners, DMs, district electoral officers, commissioners, inspectors general, and superintendents of police of all 75 districts at Tilak Hall of UP Vidhan Bhawan since Wednesday morning.
While giving reference to the seizure of a huge amount of cash stashed on the premises of Kanpur-based businessman Piyush Jain, the election commission asked the top administrative and police officials to be vigilant over the circulation and the use of black money during the upcoming assembly polls in the state. The officers were also asked to be vigilant in the borders districts keeping a close tab on the smuggling of illegal liquor, especially, in towns bordering Haryana in western UP.
The officials of the poll panel will hold a series of meetings with the chief secretary and the director-general of police and hold a media interaction on Thursday, said the senior officials of the state election commission.
Earlier on Tuesday, the ECI held a series of meetings with the representatives of different political parties who all urged the poll panel to hold the assembly elections in the state as per the schedule.
Chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra, election commissioners – Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey – along with other senior officers of the ECI held meetings with representatives of national and recognised political parties.
Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Congress, and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) demanded removal of state government officers who, as they claimed, were working on the directions of the ruling of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Pitching in for a vigilant eye on the misuse of government machinery by the ruling party, the opposition sought strict imposition of model code of conduct after the announcement of the poll schedule. They also urged the ECI to deploy enough central paramilitary forces during the polls.
The BJP delegation was led by party’s state unit vice-president JPS Rathore, SP delegation led by the party’s state unit president Naresh Uttam Patel, BSP delegation led by the party’s national general secretary Mewalal Gautam, Congress delegation led by senior party leader Onkarnath Singh, RLD delegation led by party national secretary Anil Dubey and Communist Party of India delegation led by party state executive member Pradeep Tiwari.
After the meeting with the poll panel, SP state unit president Naresh Uttam Patel and Congress’s Onkarnath Singh said that they had urged the ECI to hold assembly polls with strict implementation of Covid appropriate behavior during rallies. SP leader said EC should clear doubts by announcing poll schedule.
BJP state unit vice-president JPS Rathore said the assembly election should be held as per schedule, but the final decision rests with the ECI. BSP national general secretary Mewa Lal Gautam said that his party urged the ECI to restrict rallies and roadshows organised by the parties across the state.
Significantly, BSP chief Mayawati has not addressed a single public rally so far whereas other political players have been holding whirlwind tours of the state and holding public rallies.
Besides proper revision of electoral rolls, opposition parties sought check on speeches that might flare up communal tension and action against parties/leaders violating the code of conduct.
