The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, May 17
Haryana Chief Election Officer, Anurag Agarwal, stated that candidates contesting elections must disclose their criminal records, if any, publicly.
For this, candidates must provide complete information about their criminal cases along with an affidavit in Form-26. Apart from that, the relevant political party must also publish information about the candidate’s criminal cases on its official website.
He said that the process of filing nominations was complete on May 6, and after filing nominations, it is mandatory for candidates and political parties to disclose information about criminal cases at least three times in newspapers and TV channels.
Extra Arrangements to Protect Voters from Heatwave
The Chief Election Officer announced that special arrangements will be made at polling stations on May 25, considering the summer season. Basic facilities such as tents, fans, and cold drinking water will be ensured to protect voters from the heatwave.
Apart from it, voters will receive information from BLO through the queue management app about the number of people in queue, preventing overcrowding at polling stations and reducing wait times for voters to cast their votes with convenience.
No Mobile Phones or Electronic Devices Allowed Inside Polling Stations
He emphasized that voters should not bring mobile phones, electronic gadgets, electronic watches, spy cameras, etc., inside polling stations as this could compromise the confidentiality of voting.
Only the presiding officer is permitted to carry a mobile phone. Voters should only bring identification documents with them.
7,512 Complaints Sent to Commission through C-Vigil App
The Chief Election Officer reported that the Election Commission has developed the C-Vigil app for voters to report violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
In this digital age, IT-savvy voters immediately report any code violations they come across to the commission through this app. In Haryana, voters have sent 7,512 complaints through the C-Vigil app, of which 6,655 have been verified by Assistant Returning Officers.
Most Violations Reported in Faridabad
He further informed that Faridabad reported the highest number of Model Code of Conduct violations, with 2,297 complaints. Rohtak followed with 1,016 complaints.
Other districts reported violations as follows: Ambala with 768 complaints, Bhiwani with 131 complaints, Fatehabad with 157 complaints, Gurgaon (619), Hisar (406), Jhajjar (265), Jind (76), Kaithal (156), Karnal (38), Kurukshetra (154), Mahendragarh (25), Mewat (53), Palwal (130), Panchkula (136), Panipat (19), Rewari (50), Sirsa (697), Sonipat (194), and Yamunanagar (15).