OUR CORRESPONDENT
TEZPUR: A meeting with all political parties was held in the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner's office on Sunday which was chaired by Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer Manvendra Pratap Singh.
At the very outset, the DEO informed that Tezpur Election District, comprising of 5 (five) LACs, namely 71-Dhekiajuli, 72-Borsola, 73-Tezpur, 74-Rangapara and 75-Sootea would all be going to poll in the first phase of the ensuing general assembly election on March 27, 2021. He then shared the poll schedule with all present.
The rate chart of various items was shared with all political parties/ candidates after discussion and finalization of rates. The DEO also briefed all present about the online nomination process and the availability of nomination forms in the CEO and DEO website and also informed everyone aware that this time provisions had been made for making the security deposit online.
The representatives of the political parties present were also briefed about the latest COVID-19 guidelines issued by ECI for conduct of elections. The DEO mentioned about the restrictions regarding the number of persons that can accompany a candidate during campaigning and also the number of vehicles to be used while filing of nomination papers.
The DEO, moreover, informed that this time around candidates will be able to file their nominations online, and that they can apply for various types of permission from the district administration through the Suvidha app. The public in general will be able to report cases of Model Code of Conduct violation through the cVigil app, he further informed.
The representatives of political parties were specially briefed about Election Expenditure Monitoring along with the need for a separate bank account in the name of the candidate and expenditure limit and cash withdrawal/ transaction limit.
Additional SP Security Olindita Gogoi also briefed the members present regarding the security arrangements being made and mentioned that permission for rallies would also be given on first come first basis. The Deputy Commissioner sought cooperation from all political parties and public representatives for smooth conduct of the upcoming elections.