Vijayawada: With the Election Commission announcing the poll schedule, district collectors across the state got down to reminding officials of the rules that will ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates.
In Prakasam district collector V. Vinay Chand advised leaders of the various political parties to strictly follow the model code of conduct that will be in force till completion of the election process.
Addressing the representatives of different political parties at Prakasam Bhavan here on Monday, he said the administration is duty-bound to strictly follow the rules and would not hesitate to file cases against those luring voters with cash of gifts.
Prior permission is a must for meetings and rallies and the programmes should be held without causing any inconvenience to the public, Mr Chand said.
He warned them against using public address systems after 10 pm till 6 am and underlined the need for holding the elections in a peaceful atmosphere.
Candidates contesting for the Lok Sabha seat are allowed to spend up to Rs 70 lakh for campaigning while the limit for nominees for the Assembly candidates is Rs 28 lakh. He pointed out that all political parties should obtain prior clearance from the media monitoring certification committee before releasing advertisements to print or electronic media.
In Nellore, the Commercial Tax department warned traders against transporting items without proper documents such as saris, fans, mixers, grinders, sports kits, mobile phones and similar articles that are usually distributed to lure voters.
Joint head of GST S.E. Krishnamohan Reddy appealed to the public to alert them in case if they notice hoarding of articles for distribution to the voters.
Mr Reddy said that they have already intensified checking of goods vehicles and godowns in view of election code in force.
In Eluru, West Godavari SP M. Ravi Prakash, in a meeting with the police officers, check posts have been set up at inter-state and intra-district level to avoid illegal transportation of cash, gold ornaments, liquor etc.
Meanwhile, the authorities are carrying out awareness programme among voters on usage of EVMs and explaining the functioning of VVPATs.
Rajahmundry Sub Collector C.M. Sai Kanth Varma reviewed the ongoing awareness programme with the authorities concerned.
