Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 18 April 2024
Election Commission of India (ECI) has laid down stringent instructions to ensure the integrity and fairness of the polling process. These guidelines focus on regulating the movement of vehicles and prohibiting canvassing near polling stations and candidate election booths.
Outlined below are the key directives issued by the ECI:
1. Candidate Vehicle Movement: Each contesting candidate is permitted one vehicle for personal use throughout the constituency. Additionally, one vehicle is allowed for the use of their election agent. It is mandatory for the Poll Day permission of these vehicles to be prominently displayed on their windshields. Any illegal hiring of vehicles for voter conveyance on Poll Day is deemed a corrupt practice and will face strict consequences.
2. Passenger Limit: No more than five persons, including the driver, are permitted in a single vehicle on Poll Day.
3. Private Vehicle Use: Private vehicles may be used by owners and their family members to travel to polling booths for voting upto a radius of 200 meters of the polling station.
4. Canvassing Prohibitions: Within a 100-meter radius of the polling station, canvassing for votes, soliciting votes, persuading electors for or against a particular candidate, or exhibiting any election-related notices or signs are strictly prohibited.
5. Candidate Election Booths: Candidate election booths may be set up beyond a distance of 200 meters from the polling station. These booths are allowed one table and two chairs for the use of their agents or workers to distribute unofficial identity slips to voters. Additionally, agents may use umbrellas or tarpaulins for protection against sun or rain.
The electorate of the A&N Islands Parliamentary Constituency is urged to be well-informed voters and to uphold the principles of free, fair, and transparent elections. The polling date for A & N Islands constituency is scheduled for April 19, 2024 (Friday), with polling hours from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.