Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo on Saturday held a meeting with the representatives of recognised national and State political parties to discuss various aspects of the Lok Sabha poll.
After attending the meeting at the Secretariat, DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi told reporters that the discussion was about the model code of conduct and the issues surrounding it. DMK raised issues regarding advertisements in metro trains and Vande Bharat trains and sought their removal, he said. Mr. Bharathi said the party also sought clarification about the restriction of 5 vehicles for star campaigners and whether it applied for all the 40 campaigners.
AIADMK’s former Minister D. Jayakumar said his party emphasised that the election officials should function in an unbiased and independent manner. “We also have urged close monitoring of money transactions both in the physical and electronic form. Only private vehicles are checked. We have stressed that the government vehicles also need to be checked,” he said.
Mr. Jayakumar said the party also asked the Election Commission to take immediate action on complaints and ensure that EVMs were maintained safely and any faults be rectified in quickly.
The representatives of Congress, Communist party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) said they raised the issue of arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi party leader Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate and sought the intervention of the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on the issue.
CPI’s former MLA Periyasamy and CPI(M) former MLA K.Bheem Rao said they also raised the issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi violating the model code of conduct by using an Indian Air Force helicopter for election rally. Mr. Rao said he also requested Mr. Sahoo to come on rounds to monitor hate speech and take action.
On the IAF helicopter issue, BJP representatives said due to security reasons the Prime Minister was given exemptions from certain provisions of the model code of conduct. They also sought clarification on the rule which allowed carrying of cash up to only ₹50,000.
“While the rule is clear that candidates can carry cash up to ₹50,000, what about a group of five common people going in a vehicle. Whether they can carry only ₹50,000. We have asked the Election Commission to clarify,” they said.
Tamil Nadu Congress Advocate wing representatives said they wanted Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax to take permission from the Election Commission before initiating any action. Representatives from DMDK, AAP and BSP also participated in the meeting. Parties also stressed on ensuring all basic amenities at polling booths.
