CEC: ‘Money power’ a problem in Punjab, UP

Jan 09, 2012 |

Age Correspondent With agency inputs

New Delhi

The Election Commission said Sunday that the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election would not be held on February 4 as scheduled as the “Barawafat” festival (marking Prophet Mohammed’s birthday) was likely to fall that day. Sixty constituencies were to vote that day. The EC said a fresh date would be announced soon. The matter was raised at a two-day meeting of district electoral officers and law enforcement agencies with the EC in Lucknow recently, when it was decided to defer the voting. The UP governor will now not issue the notification for the first phase on January 10 as planned.
Chief election commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has, meanwhile, said he fears that “Punjab and Uttar Pradesh will give us problems on the money front”, when asked in an interview to PTI if the EC foresees problems in any of the poll-bound states. “And so will Goa, because money plays a big role.”
The CEC said a close tab would be kept on “paid news”, and on television channels and newspapers owned by political parties.

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