UP electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa issues directives to political parties ahead of Lok Sabha elections

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India]: Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa on Monday, held a meeting with representatives of political parties and informed them about the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The UP CEO, issued directives necessitating political parties to seek permission for rallies and processions, including a cap on campaign expenditure at 95 lakh rupees for the Lok Sabha elections and Rs40 lakh for the Assembly elections.

Candidates have also been instructed to conduct transactions exceeding 10,000 rupees through banks. Furthermore, parties are mandated to submit a list of star campaigners within a week, with their expenses to be included in the campaign budget.

Moreover, permissions from returning officers are now mandatory for various campaign activities including rallies, processions, and public meetings.

The CEO further informed that political parties will have to take permission from the returning officers for the use of campaign vehicles and various campaign activities including allies, processions, and public meetings.

The candidates will also have to give information about their e-mail ID and social media account in the affidavit submitted with the nomination papers.

Under the Election Commission’s directives, six states have witnessed changes in the charge of the Home Department.
Upholding the principles of free, fair and transparent elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued orders for the removal of Home Secretaries in six states namely Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The commission has directed all the State Governments to transfer the officers connected with election-related work, who have completed three years or are in their home districts.

This step comes as part of the Commission’s resolve and commitment to maintaining a level playing field and ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, which has been emphasised by CEC Rajiv Kumar time and again and recently during the Press Conference for announcement of Schedule for General Elections 2024.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases from April 19. Counting of votes on 4th June.