Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

Poll panel applies brake on use of money power

Special Correspondent

Setback for parties in Uttar Pradesh local bodies election

LUCKNOW: The State Election Commission (Local Bodies and Panchayats) on Wednesday clamped down on blatant use of money power and show of extravagance by candidates in the forthcoming local bodies elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Considering that the upcoming polls would be fought on party lines, the strict guidelines issued by the Commission have come as a setback for the political parties, especially in the elections of the Mayors and Corporators in the 12 Nagar Nigams (municipal corporations), including Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Bareilly. Elections to the 12 corporations are scheduled for October 31.

As per the guidelines, the upper limit of poll expenses for the mayor's election has been fixed at Rs 12.5 lakh in municipal corporations having 80 or more wards. In nagar nigams with less than 80 wards the ceiling for the mayor's election is Rs 10 lakh. For the corporators' election the candidates would be required to limit their poll expenses within the Rs. 1 lakh margin.

The ceiling for the election of Nagar Palika Parishad chairmen has been fixed at Rs. 4 lakh whereas for the election of nagar palika parishads members the maximum expenditure limit is Rs. 40,000. For the election of Nagar Panchayat chairman the expenditure limit has been fixed at Rs. 1 lakh, followed by a Rs. 20,000 ceiling for nagar panchayat members.

Meanwhile, the nagar palika parishad elections in the 14 districts of Varanasi, Azamgarh, Mirzapur and Gorakhpur divisions of eastern UP, which were scheduled to be held in the first phase on October 28, have been moved to October 31.There has been no other change in the schedule for the first phase polls which would be held in the remaining 56 districts on October 28.

Additional Commissioner Vinay Priya Dubey told newsmen that the change in the 14 eastern UP districts had been necessitated in view of the Chhat festival celebrations from October 27 to 29.

Mr. Dubey said a fresh notification had been issued for the nagar palika parishad elections in Mau incorporating changes in the poll process in view of the annual Bharat Milap festival from October 3 to 6. Consequently, instead of October 3 nominations in Mau will open on October 6 with October 9 as the last date for filing papers. The scrutiny of papers will take place on October 12 and polling on October 31. Earlier, October 28 was the date of election in Mau.

It was during the Bharat Milap festival that Mau was rocked by communal violence last year.

The State Election Commission has also issued clarifications about implementation of the election code of conduct. No new arm licences would be issued till the completion of the poll process on November 6.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

FIRs against Rae Bareli officials on Sonia's complaint
Poll panel applies brake on use of money power

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu