Political parties seeking permissions for holding meetings and other programmes as part of the election campaign need to apply beforehand for permissions, GHMC Commissioner and Hyderabad District Election Officer Ronald Rose said.
Speaking at a meeting organised with representatives of recognised political parties ahead of the Parliamentary elections, Mr. Rose said permissions will be given through a single-window system, but applications need to be filed online 48 hours ahead of the scheduled meeting only through the Suvidha portal.
Permissions will be accorded on a ‘first come first serve’ basis and will not be given manually, he said. Loudspeakers should not be used between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., he said.
Spreading religious, caste-based, and regional hatred, influencing voters through illegal means, issuing threats and indulging in malicious campaign against rivals will invite serious legal action, Mr. Rose warned.
Campaigning is forbidden in temples, mosques, churches and other religious places. Flying squads, video surveillance squads, media certification and monitoring committees and other such committees have been constituted to ensure adherence to the Model Code of Conduct.
Complaints about violation of the code may be registered through the toll-free number 1950 and Cvigil app 24X7. Measures are being taken to remove wall writings, flex banners and hoardings related to political parties. Printing press owners should ensure that the publisher’s name, the printing press’ phone number, and the number of copies printed are mentioned on the leaflets, flexis, and banners. If not, action will be taken against such printers.
All the political advertisements, campaign leaflets and other material should be approved by the MCMC beforehand. Action will be taken according to the provisions of People’s Representation Act, 1951 against violators, Mr. Rose added.
With regard to voter registrations, claims and objections about deletions and corrections in the voters’ list will be accepted up to March 23. The new registrations will be taken till 10 days before nominations.
Commissioner of Police K. Srinivas Reddy, Hyderabad Collector and returning officer Anudeep Durishetty and returning officer for Secunderabad Hemant Keshav Patil participated in the meeting.
Another press statement from the GHMC informed that ₹1,05,000 cash and other valuables worth close to ₹15.69 lakh were seized by the surveillance teams as part of the enforcement of model code.
