MAINTAIN SELF DISCIPLINE

EC TO JOURNOS

Election Commission has sought "active cooperation" of media houses and journalists to deal with the menace of paid news during elections.
"Commission has taken some well considered steps to deal with the menace of paid news in elections, after persistent requests were received from media delegations and other sections of society. These will remain in force as will other laws, instructions and certain regulatory mechanism which aim at ensuring that political parties and candidates do not make use of media in a manner that could vitiate election process.
"....However, knowing the immense capacity for self- discipline of the media, the Commission feels that with some personal attention from you, there will be no scope for complaint," Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath said in a letter to editors of media organisations.
The CEC said as the country was approaching the national elections, he solicited "active cooperation" of journalists and media groups in "ensuring that this milestone in the history of India's democracy becomes what we jointly wish it to be -- free, fair, peaceful, transparent and participative."
"Fair elections are about ensuring level playing field and keeping out undue influence. Needless to say, media in its various formats is perhaps the most prominent source of influence for citizens. Election Commission believes that opinion leaders like you could lead the efforts for protecting the precious level playing field during the din and bustle of election campaign," he said in his letter.
Sampath expressed hope that media fraternity would abide by the guidelines framed by the Press Council of India in this regard.
"I and my colleagues in the Commission believe that Lok Saba election 2014, is truly a national endeavour and in this spirit we seek your support in ensuring media practices that would strengthen the cause of free and fair polls and not handicap it in any manner," he said.
The poll panel has also proposed to the government to make paid news an electoral offence.

DON't MAKE COMMENTS HURT SENTIMENTS

Political leaders should not make comments which will hurt someone's sentiments during the electioneering for the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission said today.
Election Commissioner H S Brahma urged the campaigners of political parties and other leaders to refrain from making personal comments. "We would appeal to all the political parties, their star campaigners and other leaders that they should not use words which will hurt somebody. They should avoid using such comments," Brahma told reporters when asked about the EC's views on the subject. Political leaders at times use certain comments against each other and the EC has to then intervene and issue reprimands. The EC, which announced the schedule for the Parliamentary polls and those for the assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha today, said the planning of polling days spread over nine phases have been done keeping in mind the aim to ensure that the maximum number of voters come out to vote. CEC Sampath said the poll panel has also taken care and prepared the schedule in such a manner that the vulnerable sections of voters are amply enabled to participate in the electoral process.

INDIA POLLS IN 9 PHASES

LS ELECTIONS FROM APRIL 7th to MAY 16th

The high-stake Lok Sabha elections pitting Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi in a virtual presidential-style contest with a number of other PM aspirants thrown in will be held between April 7 and May 12 on nine days, the highest number of phases so far. Counting of votes in all the 543 constituencies involving an electorate of 81.4 crore will be done on May 16, Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath announced today at a press conference releasing the election schedule. Assembly elections will also be held simultaneously in the states of Andhra Pradesh, including Telangana region, Odisha and Sikkim. Flanked by Election Commissioners H S Brahma and S N A Zaidi, Sampath was at pains to explain the difference between nine polling days and phases saying the whole process from today to counting of votes on May 16 will be over in 72 days, three days less than it took in the last elections. The Model Code of Conduct for parties and governments comes into force with immediate effect, he said. Calling it yet another milestone in the history of Indian democracy, Sampath appealed to political parties and candidates to uphold the democratic traditions of the nation by maintaining high standards of political discourse and fair play in the course of their election campaigns. The first polling day on April 7 will cover six Lok Sabha constituencies in two states--Assam and Tripura--while the second on April 9 will cover seven constituencies in five states--Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.

92 constituencies will go to polls in 14 states on the third day on April 10, while a small number of five seats in three states will be covered on the fourth day on April 12. The largest chunk of 122 Lok Sabha seats will go to polls in 13 states on April 17, the fifth day of poll, while the sixth day will witness polling in 117 seats in 12 states on April 24. The seventh day of polling on April 30 will choose representatives in 89 constituencies spread over nine states and the eighth day on May 7 will cover 64 seats in seven states. Polling will conclude on the ninth day on May 12 with elections in 41 constituencies in three states. Battleground state of Uttar Pradesh with the maximum of 80 seats that can tilt the scales will go to polls on six days on April 10, 17, 24, 30 and May 7 and 12. Andhra Pradesh, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats, will go to polls on April 30 and May 7. Elections in the respective assembly segments will be held simultaneously. The first day of polling on April 30 will cover 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 Assembly seats in the Telangana region and the second on May 7 will cover 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats in the Seemandhra region. Sampath explained that irrespective of the appointed day for the creation of the new state of Telangana, elections will be held in the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies as they exist today.
On the menace of 'paid news', he said the commission would keep a close watch on the expenditures of the candidates. There is no law right to now to deal with the issue and so the commission has proposed that it should be made an electoral offence, the CEC said.
To a question on banning opinion polls, he said it was for Parliament to decide while the commission has recommended to the government that the ban should be in force from the date of notification to the last day of election. 

BJP ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR JDU'S DECISSION

Defending stoutly his decision to part ways with the NDA in the wake of his Gujarat counterpart's elevation as the BJP poll panel chief, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today suggested to adopt a high moral ground, saying that he did what he had promised a year ago. "I had decided last year to part ways with the NDA apparently anticipating development within the BJP and Modi's imminent rise in the saffron party hierarchy and delivered my decision two months ago after the latter was made his party's poll panel chief," Kumar told reporters here after his favourite 'Janata Durbar' without taking Modi's name. However, the BJP is responsible for his decision to break away from the NDA, Kumar said referring to the BJP senior leaders' failure to stop the Gujarat Chief Minister's rise in the party hierarchy. "In the wake of developments in the BJP, whatever decision I have taken is correct one....it was necessary and I had expressed my intent last year only," the chief minister said and added that he was not shedding tears for the split like others (BJP leaders) are doing. Maintaining a tough posture, Kumar said, "come what may.....I don't care for any consequence," he said defending his decision to split from the NDA. "I speak less, but do remember and act upon whatever I say," he said. The chief minister said that he was not in the habit of forgetting anything said and done by him, but others have forgotten what they have said in the past about the former. 

BJP NATIONAL EXECUTIVE FOR SOUL SEARCH

I'M THE BULL

MISSED THE BUS, NO WHERE TO GO...