Misuse of money, muscle & liquor will be under strict vigil during Assam polls: CEO

March 3: The misuse of money, muscle and liquor will be under strict vigil during the ensuing Assam Assembly Elections, 2021. The expenditure limit of each candidate has been fixed at Rs 30.80 lakh. To monitor expenditure the Election Commission will send senior officers as ‘Expenditure Observers’. Further, the Legislative Assembly Constituencies will have flying squads and a static surveillance team. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will also remain alert during the elections. Even the banks have been instructed to keep an eye on all suspicious withdrawal of cash. This was stated by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nitin Khade while briefing the media and representatives of political parties in Guwahati on Monday.

In its resolve to conduct smooth, free, fair and safe election, the CEO in the presence of other officers of the State Election Department stated that legal expenditures of candidates will be monitored by the District Election Officers (DEOs), who will also have to maintain shadow registers. It was also informed that in order to thwart misuse of muscle power, the police have been executing all non-bailable warrants issued in the State. Police, Excise sleuths and Narcotic Control Bureau have also been alerted. Additional CEO and State nodal officer for Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and election expenditure, Vinod Sechan was also present during the briefing.