Kohima, January 24 (MTNews): The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Nagaland, V Shashank Shekhar, IAS has apprised all political parties, candidates or any other person connected with election including Ministers, MLAs, Personnel Secretary, Personnel Assistant to ministers, Advisors and MLAs not to misuse official vehicles for campaign, electioneering or election related travel during election as per instructions and guidelines of the Election Commission of India.
The Official Vehicles include all vehicles belonging to Central and State government, Public undertakings of the Central and State government, joint sector undertakings of Central and State government, Local bodies, Municipal corporations, Municipalities, Marketing Boards (by whatever name known), Cooperative Societies, Autonomous Districts Councils, or any other body in which public funds, however small a portion of the total, are invested, and also, vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Defence and the Central Police Organizations under the Ministry of Home Affairs and State Governments.
According to the Commission guidelines, there shall be a total and absolute ban on use of official vehicles except officials performing any election related official duty. He further informed that ministers are entitled to use their official vehicles only for commuting from their official residence for official works provided that such commuting is not combined with any electioneering or any political activities.
The CEO further directed all the DEO’s to take necessary action for compliance of ECI instructions within 24 hours of the announcement of the elections. As per the ECI Consolidated Instructions 2014 standing order, cars / vehicles under no circumstances shall be allowed to move in convoys of more than ten vehicles, excluding the security vehicles.
In this regard, the CEO Nagaland directed all the District Administration to keep a close watch to find out if any official vehicle belonging to any authority specified in the preceding para is being used for electioneering purposes. In case it is so, the CEO has asked the District Magistrate to forthwith requisition or caused to be requisitioned such vehicles after following due procedure for election work under Section 160 of the Representative of the People Act,1951 and added that such requisitioned vehicles shall not be released until after the completion of the process of elections.
The CEO also instructed all the Deputy Commissioners, Additional Deputy Commissioners & District Election Officers, and all Heads of Departments, Nagaland to strictly adhere to the Election code of conduct for free and fair election during the 14 General Election to Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) 2023.