AHMEDABAD, 17 November 2007 — India’s Election Commission had not just stopped at transferring top officials before Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh goes to polls next month, but has also clamped down on the use of SMS as a mode of campaigning.
The polling in Gujarat will be held on Dec. 11 and 16 while second and last round of polling in Himachal Pradesh is slated for Dec. 19. Short Messaging Service (SMS) that has been prolifically used by parties during their election campaigns will not be allowed now in both the states.
The commission, for the first time has banned bulk, election-related SMS 48 hours before polling. The commission had two rounds of meeting with service providers and the move was aimed at tracking down the source of any mischievous SMS, sources said. Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer V.K. Babbar after meeting with the telecom officials operating in the state, said that “mischievous” messages will be tracked within 30 minutes of sending it and action will be taken against the sender.
The commission’s directives have been issued to avoid any misuse of the technology to incite communal passion and to polarize the electorate on religious and communal lines in this highly volatile state. The directives also aim to keep a check on anti-social elements, who may try to disrupt the electoral process.
The commission has appointed 226 observers for Gujarat and 40 to supervise elections in Himachal Pradesh. The observers have been directed to keep a close watch to prevent communal incident.
In another development, the commission yesterday ordered transfer of three senior police officials, including the Vadodara commissioner of police, for alleged dereliction of duty. Apart from P.C Thakur, commissioner of police in Vadadora, the commission ordered transfer of P.K Jha, joint commissioner, Ahmedabad and D.S. Bhatt, superintendent of police of Anand.
Meanwhile, more than 10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rebel legislators of Gujarat are reported to have approached the opposition Congress party for contesting the assembly election.
