Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland, V Shashank Shekhar, IAS has instructed all the Deputy Commissioners, Additional Deputy Commissioners and District Election Officers, and all Heads of Department, Nagaland to strictly adhere to the election code of conduct for free and fair elections during the 14 General Election to Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) 2023.
According to the CEO Media cell, Shekhar 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 elections as per the instructions/guidelines of the Election Commission of India.
It is informed that 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.
Official vehicles also include those belonging to the Ministry of Defence and the Central Police organisations under the Ministry of Home Affairs and state governments.
The CEO Media cell stated that the Commission guidelines has clearly mentioned that there shall be a total and absolute ban on use of official vehicles except for officials performing any election related official duty.
The CEO has thus directed all the DEOs to take necessary action for compliance of ECI instructions within 24 hours of the announcement of the elections.
The CEO has further stated that ministers are entitled to use their official vehicles only for commuting from their official residence for officials work provided that such commuting is not combined with any electioneering or any political activities.
As per the ECI Consolidated Instructions 2014 standing order, the commission further directs that cars/vehicles shall, under no circumstances, be allowed to move in convoys of more than ten vehicles, excluding the security vehicles. In this regard, the CEO Nagaland has 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 District Magistrate shall, 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 such requisitioned vehicles shall not be released until after the completion of the process of elections, the CEO stated.
