NOTA a candidate, direct mayoral election: Haryana announces civic body polls with many firsts
Chandigarh, Nov 22: In a significant move, the Haryana Election Commission has decided to treat 'none-of-the-above' or NOTA option as a fictional candidate in upcoming municipal polls, making it must for winning candidates to secure more votes than those cast for NOTA.
Elections to the municipal corporations of Karnal, Panipat, Yamunanagar, Rohtak and Hisar and municipal committees of Jakhal Mandi in Fatehabad and Pundri in Kaithal will be held on December 16, Haryana Election Commissioner Dalip Singh said Thursday.
In another first, the mayors of the five municipal corporations too will be elected directly for which the electors would cast votes, not only to elect ward councillors but also the mayor, through unique "multi-post electronic voting machines", he said.
NOTA will be treated as a fictional electoral candidate. If in the election, all the contesting candidates individually receive less votes than those cast for the fictional candidate, NOTA, none of the candidates will be declared elected. The polls will be cancelled and held afresh," he explained.
Singh said while declaring the results, NOTA will be treated as a fictional electoral candidate for the first time in the electoral history of the country.
He said the candidates securing lesser votes than NOTA would not be eligible to file nominations for fresh polls to be held later.
If a contesting candidate and the NOTA both receive equal valid votes, the candidate, and not the fictional candidate, shall be declared elected, he said.
But, in the case of re-election, if NOTA again gets the highest number of votes, the candidate with the second highest votes will be declared elected, he added.
The voting for the five municipal corporations will be held from 7.30 am to 4.30 pm, he said. The results will be declared on December 19.
As many as 1,092 polling booths will be set up in 136 wards of the five municipal corporations.
All main political parties in the state have said they would fight polls on their respective party symbols.
The nominations for the corporations and committees going to polls can be filed from December 1 to 6, except December 2 when it is a holiday.
The scrutiny of nomination papers will be undertaken on December 7, while the last date of withdrawal of candidature has been fixed to be December 8, Singh said.
He said out of ten municipal corporations in the state, polls have already been held in Gurugram and Faridabad.
As far as Sonipat MC goes, the delimitation process is yet to be completed. Once it is done, polls will be held there too," he said.
About Panchkula and Ambala municipal corporations, he said, though the delimitation has already been completed there, it has been challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and is pending there.
Singh pointed out that with the announcement of the poll schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect within the municipal limits of all the civic bodies going to polls.
About direct elections of mayors, he said, it will be ensured through "multi-post EVMs" which would enable voters to vote separately for the mayor and the councillors.
He said elaborate security arrangements were being made for smooth conduct of elections in free, fair and transparent manner.
The Haryana police will take care of the law and order and security arrangements, he said, adding the sensitive and hypersensitive booths are being identified.
Singh said the state poll panel would also appoint independent observers from among senior IAS, IPS and revenue officers for strict enforcement of the model code and to keep a check on the use of money and liquor in the polls, besides monitoring the expenditure by candidates and parties.
"The observers would report directly to me," he said.
The state poll panel has fixed an expenditure ceiling of Rs 20 lakh for mayoral candidates, Rs 5 lakh for councillors and Rs 2 lakh for municipal committee members.
All candidates are required to maintain an account of their poll expenditures and submit it to the deputy commissioner concerned within 30 days after declaration of the results, failing which a candidate would be liable to be disqualified for contesting polls for five years, he said.
He said 531 such candidates who had contested civic polls in 2013 were disqualified for failing to give their expenditure details.
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Focus on Vijay's poll promises; TVK assured 8 gm gold for women
Chennai (PTI): As the new-entrant TVK appears likely to emerge as the single largest party and form the government, the focus has now turned into actor-politician Vijay's poll promises, including 8 gm gold for marriage, which is worth about Rs 14,000 per gram (22 carat).
Vijay's assurances in the party manifesto include Rs 2,500 monthly assistance for women below 60 years, 8 gm gold for marriage and six free cooking gas cylinders a year, per family.
By 3 PM, as per EC data, Vijay's party is leading in 105 constituencies and it falls short of a simple majority (118) in the Assembly.
The actor-turned-politician also assured a quality silk saree in addition to gold for indigent brides and interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh for women-run SHGs. He assured corruption-free good governance if voted to power in his maiden electoral fight.
The manifesto also laid importance on education. To prevent school dropouts, mothers or guardians of children studying in government and state-aided schools will receive Rs 15,000 annually.
Vijay promised 100 special residential schools named after iconic leader K Kamaraj, credited with revolutionising education in the state, and higher education loans of up to Rs 20 lakh. The TVK founder also assured AI Ministry, AI University and AI City.
The manifesto placed a strong emphasis on agrarian welfare, too.
The party promised a full waiver of agricultural cooperative crop loans for farmers owning less than five acres of land, while those holding more than five acres will receive a 50 per cent waiver. Additionally, the party promised a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 3,500 per quintal for paddy and Rs 4,500 per tonne for sugarcane.
Addressing youth unemployment, Vijay pledged to create five lakh new government jobs and offer as many stipendiary internships. Unemployed graduates will be provided a monthly aid of up to Rs 4,000. For government employees, the party assured consideration of the Old Pension Scheme and the regularisation of contract workers, including nurses.
On the health front, he promised a drug-free Tamil Nadu. Vijay also committed to modernising hospitals, providing free annual health checkups, and introducing a Rs 25 lakh family health insurance scheme.
The manifesto also included a Rs 3,000 monthly pension for the elderly and the differently-abled, 200 units of free power, patta (land deed) regularisation, and 100 per cent piped drinking water supply for all households.
Some of the policy intereventions promised by TVK include a legal guarantee to provide essential government services like community certificates, and land pattas, within a strictly specified timeframe.
Vijay also promised doorstep delivery of governance by implementing a system to deliver services, such as ration supplies, directly to the people. He also assured that ease of doing business will be paramount to his government and promised a strict guarantee that business licences will be issued within 21 days.
Elections to 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu were held on April 23.
