Amid tensions between India and Pakistan, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said on Friday that the Lok Sabha elections would be held as per schedule.

He asserted that the Election Commission was committed to holding free and fair polls and would take stringent action against the offenders.

The CEC along with Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra concluded their three-day visit to Lucknow to review poll preparations in the state and addressed media persons on Friday. 

In reply to a specific question whether the Lok Sabha polls could be deferred in the wake of escalation of tension on India-Pakistan border, Arora said, “The general elections in the country will be held on time. We are in direct touch with the government and there is no confusion on this issue.”  

The CEC, however, refused to disclose any possible date for announcement of the election schedule. He said that discussions with the Union Home Ministry about availability of para-military forces had been completed.

Arora said that as per a new notification of the Election Commission, candidates would have to give details of their properties abroad, beside those in the country. 

“The Income-Tax department will look into it and, if any, discrepancies are found, then it will be uploaded on the Election Commission website. A candidate will have to file his/her income tax returns and that of his family members for the last five years,” he said.

When asked about the Election Commission’s stand on inflammatory speeches, Arora said, “I have apprised the Chief Secretary and the DGP about intention of the poll panel and they have assured that strict action would be taken against offenders in such cases.” 

The CEC said that the Election Commission would soon launch C-Vigil App by which any citizen, on condition of anonymity, could register poll related complaints and the Election Commission would also constitute a committees to keep an eye on social media.

“If a citizen is not willing to disclose his identity then too, authorities will have to publish the action in the media,” Arora said, adding that the App was a great success in the recently-concluded assembly polls in he five states during which 28,000 complaints were received. Expressing satisfactions on the preparedness for Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, the CEC said that EVMs (electronic voting machines) had been turned into a ‘football’ by some political parties and they were kicking it whenever they wanted.  

Arora said the EVMs had been in use for the last two decades and people questioning their reliability had so far not furnished credible evidence to substantiate their allegations. 

“EVMs are being used for the past over two decades. If we take results of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls into account, the results of the Delhi assembly polls four months after it were different. 

“We have made EVMs football, knowingly or unknowingly... If result is X, then EVMs are okay, and if it is Y, then the EVMs are faulty,” Arora said.

The CEC said the Election Commission had taken congnisance of the sentiments of people and started the use of VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail ). “There were some problems initially, but  arrangements have been made (for its use),” he said.

Defending the use of EVMs, the CEC said that “these (EVMs) are made by highly secure companies — Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), which are involved in making defence equipment.”

He said a technical advisory committee was there to keep an eye on EVM arrangements. 

He said in all the 1,63,331 polling centres, VVPAT machines would be used this time.

The CEC, accompanied by the two Election Commissioners and other officials reviewed poll preparations in the state with senior officials, district authorities and others concerned during their three-day visit.

The number of voters in UP has increased by 25, 45,480 after the revision of electoral rolls.  During the 2017 assembly polls, there were 14,15,16,412 voters in the state and their number has increased to 14, 40,61,892. 

The total number of voters during 2014 Lok Sabha elections was 13,87,49,076.