Chandigarh:
Taking a leap forward towards ensuring fair and free elections in the state, Punjab Election Commission would be for the first time web casting the polling process live in 200 polling booths across the state.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab Kusumjit Kaur Sidhu said that in these elections web casting would be done only in 200 polling booths in 11 districts, for which Technical Education Department would be making the necessary provisions with the help of the 11 Technical Institutes falling in these districts.
The CEO said that to make this programme a success around 200 engineering students of these institutes would be deployed at booths with one laptop and internet connection, by which the web casting would be done.
She said that during the coming assembly polls web casting would not be open for the general public but only the officers of the Election Commission as well as the officers of CEO's office.
She said that in order to ensure free and fair voting on the polling day the borders of the state would be sealed so that no outsider could enter the state with the motive of disturbing law and order situation of the state.
The CEO said the Commission was keeping a strict vigil over the complaints regarding paid news being published in a few newspapers for extending benefit to some candidates.
She said EC got complaints that some newspapers were publishing paid news for which their representatives were contacting all the candidates.
However, she reiterated the Election Observers were keeping an eye over the content of news and anything found suspicious would be entered in the list of Shadow Register of the particular candidates and subsequently entered in their expenditure if it is proved that it was a paid news.
Addressing the newsmen, Joint CEO Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said EC has identified 999 vulnerable areas in the state from the point of view of free and fair poll.
He said the vulnerable areas have been identified by following a fixed criteria and as a part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in these areas flag marches would be undertaken by paramilitary forces and regular visits to the areas would be undertaken by concerned Election Observers.
He said that apart from it Sector Magistrate would visit these areas before and during the poll.
The Joint CEO also said special vigil was being kept on miscreants and other people having criminal background belonging to these areas and directions have been passed to the police for arresting proclaimed offenders in these areas.