Samudra Gupta Kashyap

The Election Commission has urged the media to play the role of an “ally and friend” to monitor violation of the model code of conduct in the coming Assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puduchery.

“We see the media as our ally and friend in the elections. We will see through your eyes,” Chief Clection Commissioner SY Quraishi said here on Tuesday.

Quraishi said the Election Commission would take up any case of malpractice and violation of the model code of conduct by parties and candidates, exposed by the media, as a formal complaint. “We will take up such cases exposed in the media as formal complaints and take necessary action as provided by the law,” he said.

Quraishi accompanied his two colleagues, HS Brahma and VS Sampath, was speaking at a press conference here at the end of their two-day visit to Assam. The announcement came after most opposition political parties in Assam complained to the visiting team on Monday that the ruling Congress party had allegedly violated the code across the state. The opposition parties also expressed apprehension of the use of money power (by the ruling party), he said. “Opposition parties have complained about the distribution of bicycles, mosquito nets, blankets and other items by the ruling party in violation of the model code of conduct. We are collecting details of such incidents and have already asked officers to take action if such cases are detected,” Quraishi said.

Quraishi, however, did not say what action the Election Commission would take in cases where freebies had been already allegedly distributed after the code came into force. A sizeable number of such items have been already confiscated in some districts after the code of conduct came into force in Assam.

“We have told the district magistrates and SPs that they would be in trouble if we see even the slightest lack of neutrality in their actions,” he said. The Election Commission would also constitute district-level media watch committees to monitor paid news. “Such committees will have among others a senior journalist nominated by the Press Council of India. While these committees will watch the print as well as electronic media, we will take up the matter once incidents of paid news are suspected,” Quraishi said.

Once confirmed that a particular news item was actually paid for, the cost of that item would be included in the expenditure register of the particular candidate. “As many as 86 such cases were noted in the Bihar Assembly elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, the EC found that as many as 137 officers were yet to be transferred from their home districts or from where they had served three-four years even after a week of the announcement of elections in Assam.

“The parties complained that many officers were still in their home districts ... We have asked the chief secretary to ensure these officers are shunted out,” Quraishi said.