Curtain will come down on election campaign on Saturday.
District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam, who is also the District Election Officer, asked political parties and candidates to make sure that the campaign ends at 6 p.m. He said strict action would be taken against those who violated the direction, and their campaign materials would be seized.
Voting will be held on Monday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. According to election norms, the campaign should end 48 hours before the end of voting. During the 48 hours of silent campaign, no equipment should be used to influence voters. Print, visual, and audio advertisements also will stand banned during the period.
Party activists should not assemble in groups for campaigning. Those who come from outside the constituency for campaigning should leave during the period.
23 complaints settled
The district administration has received as many as 39 complaints so far against violation of the model code of conduct. Out of them, 23 have been settled. Eight complaints have been forwarded to the Chief Election Officer. Complaints were received by 14 groups spread across 14 Assembly constituencies. However, no serious violation of the code of conduct was detected anywhere in the district.
Unaccounted money
The election surveillance teams in the district have so far seized unaccounted money to the tune of Rs.55.24 lakh during the campaign. The Election Department has deployed 42 teams, three in each constituency, for surveillance. So far, three cases have been reported. The surveillance teams seized foreign currency worth Rs.25.24 lakh, and Rs.30 lakh in Indian rupee. The flying squad seized Rs.14.93 lakh. Teams travelled across the district in GPS-mounted vehicles.
The Excise and police departments are making concerted efforts to check the illegal flow of alcohol in the district in connection with election.
Altogether, 2,980 litres of spirit, 2,927 litres of foreign liquor, and 76.40 kg of ganja were seized in raids conducted across the district. Four persons were arrested in this connection. Surveillance has been intensified with the polling day nearing.
Digital monitoring
The District Election Department had set a scorching pace in settling election-related complaints through its various digital mechanisms. Of the 1,200 complaints received over e-anumathi, 1,168 remain resolved.
