BASAR, 20 Nov: Leparada District Election Officer (DEO) Himani Meena has sought cooperation from all political parties to ensure smooth conduct of the upcoming panchayat elections in the district.
Chairing a consultative meeting with representatives of political parties here on Thursday, the DC highlighted the importance of maintaining a fair and transparent electoral environment, and cautioned the members of the parties against adopting any unfair practice that undermines the democratic process.
Emphasising the pivotal role of political parties in strengthening democratic processes, she reiterated that any unlawful activity would be dealt with strictly and without hesitation.
The DEO also presented a brief on the model code of conduct, key guidelines, dos and don’ts, and electoral offences, and urged all parties’ representatives to adhere to the prescribed norms.
During the open house discussion, representatives of various political parties raised queries and shared concerns relating to the electoral process. The DEO, along with Returning Officers Ejum Angu (Basar ADC) and Mary N Taloh (Basar SDO) addressed the issues and answered the queries raised by the representatives.
DEO asks ANOs to perform duties with sincerity
In Papum Pare district, DEO Vishakha Yadav urged the panchayati raj election officials to perform their duties with sincerity and diligence to ensure smooth and transparent conduct of the elections.
Yadav was addressing a briefing session for the assistant nodal officers (ANOs) attached to all 16 returning officers of the district in Yupia on Thursday.
During the session, the ANOs were informed about the procedures for maintaining and inspecting the daily election expenditure of the candidates.
The ANOs were also advised to ensure that candidates open or use a dedicated bank account exclusively for election-related expenses.
The briefing further highlighted that failure to comply with expenditure norms by any contesting candidate could invite punitive action under Section 171 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). (DIPROs)
