Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal on Friday said about 1500 complaints through the Election Commission (EC’s) cVigil app regarding violations of the Model Code of Conduct have been received since the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the State. cVIGIL is a mobile application that allows citizens to report incidents of political misconduct. Most of the received complaints are related to illegal hoardings, banners; distribution of money, gifts and liquor as well as the defacement of property.
Additionally, around 75 written complaints have been received at the State Election Commission office. Most of the complaints are related to the transfer of government officers and employees. The officers of concerned departments have been asked to take action immediately. Moreover, as per the ECI’s guidelines, administrative authorities have been asked to ensure that officials transferred out of a district after serving three years are not posted in another district within the same parliamentary constituency. The rule applies to all officials involved in electoral work, either directly or in a supervisory role, he added.
Talking to ‘The Pioneer’, the Chief Electoral officer said that the Union Home Ministry has been requested to deploy 200 more companies of central armed police forces in the run-up to Lok Sabha election in the State. A total of 19,812 polling stations have been set up, out of which, 6,224 are in urban areas and 13,588 are rural polling stations. At least 2,289 polling stations are vulnerable and 63 critical polling stations. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used for voting and adequate EVMs are available. Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will also be placed at all polling stations, he added.
The CEO said that the law and order situation in the state is under control. Security is being reviewed from time to time. No politicians in the state have sought for additional security so far. No complaints from any politicians have been received at the Election Commission office that they were stopped by farmers while entering villages during the election campaign, he added.
Agarwal further said that as per the available reports, the local administrative authorities have confiscated or seized about 40-50 per cent of the total licenced guns/weapons in the State so far. Authorities have been directed to keep a close watch on licensed gun holders. Seized weapons would be kept in police custody till the elections are over or till the local authorities think it’s necessary, he added.
The CEO further said, “About 70% voter turnout was recorded in the state, which was higher than the national average. This time our target is to achieve a more than 80% voter turnout in the State. The Election Department is making strenuous efforts at the war footing level to ensure maximum participation of citizens in the voting for the Lok Sabha General Elections scheduled for May 25, 2024.”
He further said that the Election Department is running a continuous campaign to educate voters and to increase voter turnout. In this series, the Deputy Commissioner cum District Election Officer of Faridabad took a unique initiative and administered the oath to more than 8.5 lakh people to vote together. Similarly, awareness campaigns are being conducted in other districts as well. Many districts have also created election icons at the district level, conveying the message of voting importance and democracy to citizens. Every eligible voter must exercise their voting rights, and citizens are being sensitized for this purpose, he added.
Furthermore, Agarwal said that to increase voter turnout this time, the Election Commission of India has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Postal Department and the Indian Banks Association to raise awareness among voters. “The main objective is to convey to voters that the participation of the public is crucial in a democracy, therefore, every citizen must exercise their franchise. Haryana has a large network of over 5600 branches of 62 banks. With the cooperation of banks, maximum awareness will be ensured at ATMs and branches to motivate citizens to come to banks to vote,” he added.
