Cheif Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi anticipated the use of the power of money and paid news in the upcoming State elections. He has requested the Centre to take strict action and urgent measures for the upcoming elections and to designate rigging or malpractice as a crime.
The Election commission advised and requested the Centre to make money distribution to voters by either candidate that is competing, or those related to him to be considered Criminal Procedure code. This says that those arrested under Criminal procedure code would not be able to apply for bail. He also advised the government to make this offense punishable by two years, the term previously was six months. He also suggested that the candidate caught in the action should be barred from participating in elections for the next six years. Zaidi suggested that enacting of this law as an edict because the menace of cash distribution and paid media is high.
Nasim Zaidi said that another menace was paid media, speaking about this he said, “At present, we determine which news item is paid news and add the expenses incurred to the candidates’ expenses, which is Rs 75 lakh for Lok Sabha elections and Rs 28 lakh for assembly elections. But with most candidates reporting poll expenses that are only 50% of the limit, we need to deal with the problem by making it an offense under the RP Act.”
The Cheif Election Commissioner also said that filing false affidavits were quite common and very high despite the candidates competing being instructed by the Supreme Court against this. It was also made mandatory that all the candidates under the democratic reforms case in 2002 declare their connection previously to crime, education, and wealth. The CEC requested that paid media and money laundering during state and Center elections and distribution of money to the voters must be considered as a cognizable offense and make it punishable. A cognizable offense is the type of offense where the police do not need a FIR or a written complaint if the accused is caught in action.
