The Election Commission has deployed 30 poll expenditure observers and flying squads to keep track of spendings by political parties and other complaints of alleged misuse of money and muscle power in Jharkhand.
"Jharkhand is expenditure sensitive state. We have deployed 30 expenditure observers," Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath said after meeting officials of the Income Tax department and other top officials of the state.
He said that flying squads, surveillance teams and other observers would be ready to meet any such complaint.
The Election Commission had cancelled the 2012 Rajya Sabha elections after Rs 2.15 crore was seized from a vehicle on the polling day and the CBI is still investigating the case. He told reporters that the EC had also received complaints about money and muscle power in the state and that "a total of Rs 51 lakh, 66,000 litres of liquor and 49 lakh gift items have been seized in the state (so far)".
Besides expenditure observers, 14 general observers and five police observers have been deployed ahead of the three-phase polls on April 10, 17 and 24 for the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
He expressed satisfaction over poll preparation by the state after meeting Chief Secretary RS Sharma, Home Secretary NN Pandey, DGP Rajeev Kumar, deputy commissioners, divisional commissioners, superintendents of police and other officials across the state.
"I have also met representatives of various political parties, who made some good suggestions and also placed some complaints," Sampath said.
Based on their complaints, he added, the Commission has allowed them to fly their party flags in their "own houses" and "party offices" with a limited size of the flag staff.
Asked what strategy the EC has chalked up to deal with the Naxal problem in the state, Sampath said he had discussed the issue with the chief secretary, the home secretary and the DGP. The EC has bracketed 13 districts of Jharkhand among 33 Naxal-affected districts across the country.
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