Candidates' election expenditures to be critically monitored: ECI
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, December 15 2011: The media cell of the Election Commission of India (ECI) along with the stakeholders of the state and media persons had a discourse on the aspects of the forthcoming Assembly Election of the state at State Guest House here today.

The function which was attended by Akshay Raut, Director General, Election Commission of India, PK Das, Director General (Election Expenditure) and A Tombikanta, SVEEP, Manipur and other officials minutely discussed the issue of paid news, use of money power to win election and election expenditures of candidates.

Speaking on the occasion, Akshay Raut said that in Indian election, paid news is a disease.

If a particular news firm continuously writes story in favour of a political party and put up a number of advertisements, it will be considered as a clear case of paid news.

As the issue of paid news has reached alarming level in India, the ECI has taken up steps to ban this form of news since June 2010 .

To counter paid news in the state in the coming Assembly election, a State Level Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) has been formed.

The State Level MCMC will dispose of cases related to appeals against orders of District Level MCMC and deal with applications by political parties and organizations for certificate for advertisement on television channel and cable network, he said.

Recalling the case of disqualification of an MLA of UPA government on the ground of paid news recently, Akshay Raut termed it as a big success for the mechanism promulgated by the ECI.

To make the coming election a free and fair one, the ECI and the media should co ordinate and work together, he proposed.

PK Das said that the three barriers faced by the ECI in its function to make the election free and fair are use of muscle power, money power and the misuse of power of by the ruling Party.

Confiding that the ECI has got specific information that candidates are all set to use money power in the coming Assembly election of Manipur, he said that it is ready with various mechanisms to control all the wrong and illegal means in the election.

The Monitoring Committee, he informed, will monitor the expenditures incurred by candidates on public rally, meeting and printing of pamphlets as soon as the notification for the election is declared.

Income tax officers will be deployed in airports.

The candidates will be made to open their own bank accounts.

The committee will also deploy flying squad to take actions against those candidates using unfair means.

It will also take up reports published in newspapers regarding the misdeeds of the candidates as formal complaints and take up necessary actions.

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