General Election/Bye-elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies - Instructions on misuse of vehicles during election period - Regarding

 Subject: General Election/Bye-elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies - Instructions on misuse of vehicles during election period - Regarding

1. The Commission has been issuing instructions on the subject of restrictions to be followed and observed on the misuse of vehicles during the election period. In the interest of preserving the purity of election process and rendering the same reflective of true choice of the people, the Commission has now directed that the following instructions shall be strictly followed at all the General and Bye- elections to the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies. These instructions are issued under article 324 of the Constitution and all other powers enabling the Commission in this behalf.

2. Cars/vehicles being used for electioneering purposes, shall, under no circumstances, be allowed to move in convoys of more than three vehicles from the date of notification till the completion of election process in any constituency. All bigger convoys shall be broken up, even if they are carrying any minister of Central or State Govt. This shall, however, be subject to any security instructions Issued in respect of any such individual. In other words the convoy shall not in any case exceed three vehicle of any person plus the security vehicles allowed in view of the security gradation of that particular person.

3. From the date of notification of the election till the completion of election process in any constituency, the district administration shall keep a close watch on the vehicles used by the contesting candidates, persons accompanying the contesting candidates and other party leaders and ensure that the Commission's instructions are not abused.

4. If any person moves in a convoy of vehicles exceeding the limits prescribed above. in spite of the convoy having been broken, it shall be the duty of the local administration to ensure that such vehicles are not allowed to be used by flouting the Commission's directions till the process of election is completed

5. The contesting candidates be asked to get the details of all the vehicles that they are using in the election campaign lodged with the District Election Officer or such other officer(s) as may be specifically authorized by the District Election Officer in this behalf before the campaigning commences. Any further deployment of any additional vehicles can take place only after notice to this effect is given by the candidates or his agent well before the actual deployment of the vehicles. While conveying the details of the vehicles that are being deployed for election campaign the details of the areas tehsil(s) in which the vehicle would operate, should also be conveyed

6. The details so obtained should be conveyed by District Election Officer to the Election Expenditure Observers.

7. The vehicles employed for election campaign as per intimation given by the candidates or their election agents to the District Administration should not be requisitioned by the administration

8. Any vehicle that has not been registered for campaigning with the district administration if found being used for campaigning, shall be deemed to be unauthorised campaigning for the candidate and may attract penal provisions of Chapter IX A of the Indian Penal Code and shall therefore be immediately taken out of the campaigning exercise.

The receipt of this letter may please be acknowledged.