Mizoram polls: Security agencies told to maintain tight vigilance along Myanmar, B'desh border

The Election Commission (EC) has asked all the security agencies to maintain strict vigilance during the Mizoram assembly elections along the Myanmar and Bangladesh international border as well as in inter-state bordering areas with Assam, Manipur and Tripura, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Wednesday.

The CEC, after holding a series of meetings with officials and political parties since Tuesday, said anti-drug operations, actions and activities would be intensified during the election process and any kind of drug peddling activities would be dealt with firmly. 

"All enforcement agencies would remain extremely vigilant and for any laxity we would take stern action against the security agency and the individual," Kumar told the media. 

The CEC specifically emphasised the need for vigilance in the inter-state check posts across the neighbouring states to ensure no cross-border movement of illicit cash, liquor, drugs, freebies takes place. 

He said that to curb illegal transactions of money and inducement, the Reserve Bank of India and the State Level Bankers Committee have been given detailed instructions to maintain the restrictions of monetary dealings. 

The CEC asked the officials to step up the seizures with support from adjoining border states and instill fear of administration amongst the violators to fulfill the Commission's resolve of an inducement-free election in the state. 

He directed the Mizoram Police, central forces, state Excise and Narcotics Department and Narcotics Control Bureau officials to maintain strict vigilance and help curtail the drug menace. The full commission, led by CEC and accompanied by Election Commissioners -- Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel and 15 senior EC officials, arrived in Aizawl on Tuesday on a three-day tour to review poll preparedness of the state.

The 40-member Mizoram Assembly will go to the polls towards the end of this year along with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Telangana. 

The CEC said that the Commission has strictly asked the state and district level officials to maintain the level playing field and impartiality in conducting the elections. 

While the EC officials would use social media to increase the participation of voters to cast votes and make people aware about the various facets of the elections, it stressed on maintaining vigilance on the misuse of social media as well. 

Kumar said that the political parties during the meeting urged the Election Commission to increase the limit of election expenditure for the candidates, arrange transport for the voters and not to hold polling on Saturday and Sunday. 

He said that there are 8.38 lakh voters in Mizoram, where final electoral rolls would be published on October 4 after the ongoing summary revision of the voters' list. 

Of the total 1,276 polling stations, 95 polling stations would be all women-managed, 11 by otherwise-able employees, 40 by young polling personnel and 40 model police stations would be set up. 

All basic facilities would be available in all polling stations, the CEC said. 

The commission conducted a review meeting with District Election Officers (District Magistrates) and Superintendent of Police of all 11 districts and sought information from DEOs on their preparedness for the Assembly elections.