Civic polls : Dist administration forms special panel to screen campaign materials

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Feb 15, 2013: With Mangalore City Corporation and seven other local administrative bodies gearing up for polls in Dakshina Kannada district, the district administration has set up a special committee to scrutinize the campaign materials of the political parties   and candidates in the visual, print media and other electronic media.

 

 

Speaking to reporters at the  DC Office on Feb 15, Friday, Deputy Commissioner N Prakash, said that before publishing or airing the advertisement or any other campaign material  in the media, the political parties and candidates must provide the details of the advertisement to the committee.

The DC who is also heading the committee, said that the committee will have city Police Commissioner Manish Kharbikar and Superintendent of Police Abhishek Goyal as its members, while Additional Deputy Commissioner K Dayanand will work as the coordinator of the committee.

He also said that committee will grant permission to the media campaign content only after scrutinizing it as per the election code of conduct. This will continue  till the completion of election process, he added.

Apart from the MCC, town municipalities of Moodbidri, Ullal, Puttur, town panchayats of Belthangady and Sullia will also go to polls on March 7. All the civic bodies will be provided electronic voting machines, the DC informed.

 MCC Commissioner Harish Kumar said that candidates who will file nomination for MCC polls under general category and other reserved quota category will have to pay a deposit amount of Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,500 respectively.

He said that there were a total of 3,12,579 voters including 1,59,353 females and 1,53,226 male  voters in the MCC electoral roll. For the smooth functioning of election, district administration will set up 379 booths for 60 wards.

Candidates for ward number 1 to 10 of Mangalore City Corporation can file nomination papers at the MCC sub office located in Surathkal, while nomination papers of  candidates for ward number 21 to 25 and 31 to 35 will be received at the sub office of MCC in Kadri. Remaining nominations will be accepted at the MCC office in the city till February 23.

The election will be conducted according to the 2007 quota and hence 21 out of 60 wards in MCC will be reserved for women. One ward each has been reserved for schedule caste general and schedule cast women, while 25 wards remain unreserved, he added.