All polling booths in UP sensitive: EC

The Chief Election Commission today announced that each and every polling station in Uttar Pradesh was ‘sensitive’ for the Commission

The Chief Election Commission (CEC) today announced that each and every polling station in Uttar Pradesh was ‘sensitive’ for the Commission and therefore still and video photography will be ensured and Central paramilitary forces deployed at all 1.10 lakh stations.

At the end of the two-day visit to the state to oversee poll preparations, CEC N Gopalaswami said “the CEC will accept nothing less than free and fair polls in UP.” To ensure that EVMs are not manipulated or tampered with, the Commission has this time introduced new machines for the state, which would have an enhanced memory to keep records for five years. If anyone tried to manoeuver the machine before or after the scheduled time of polling it will get recorded in the machine and will remain in its memory for five years. “Now, no one should try to manipulate the machines because this time the machine will speak for itself,” Gopalaswami said.

The CEC, who was accompanied by other Commission members, said he had directed officials to ensure at least 90 per cent Electoral Photo Identity Card coverage for the first and 95 per cent coverage for the remaining six phases of polling as against the existing average of 71-78 per cent.

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Asked whether the EC would allow an alternative for those who did not have EPIC, Gopalaswamy said “we would decide about it at the right moment”. “Those who do not have EPIC even after 95 per cent coverage do not really exist”, he quipped adding that 10 districts of the state had about 65 per cent coverage.

The CEC said the EVMs to be used in the polling would have another new feature — they will have serial numbers written in Brail (language for the blind) on their face.

The CEC termed the media as its ‘eyes’ and appealed to it to be vigilant and help ensure free and fair elections.

Stating that media had made the Commission Indra (the king of Gods with thousand eyes), he said the Commission took cognizance of media reports exposing irregularities in polling.

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If required, the EC would open its third eye (the mythical eye of Lord Shiva causing destruction when opened), he quipped. Gopalaswamy said that during its two-day stay here the Commission met delegations of different political parties to elicit their views.

He said the parties apprised the Commission of their concerns and apprehensions that centered around action against anti-socials, intimidation of voters, misuse of licensed and illegal weapons, violation of model code of conduct and deployment of Central paramilitary forces. The CEC said CM Mulayam also met him and discussed the poll preparations. The meeting came after the Supreme Court directions in his disproportionate assets case and lasted about an hour.