Tuesday 29 May 2012

EC orders release of YSRCP leaders

                                                                          
The Election Commission (EC) has ordered immediate release of leaders and workers of political parties, including YSR Congress Party, arrested by the police under the Preventive Detention Act.
Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal told reporters here on Monday that he had issued the orders to that effect to Collectors who are district election officers, to ensure that all those taken into custody in the 12 districts where by-elections were being held to be set free forthwith.
The EC had taken this step, as indiscriminate arrests of leaders and workers of a political party although they did not commit criminal offences, would curtail campaigning. This would be violative of the code of conduct and would be potential enough to affect the free and fair elections.
The action by the EC is expected to give some relief to the YSRCP, hundreds of whose workers were arrested on Saturday-Sunday along with leaders at different places. On intervention by local election authorities in East Godavari district, P. Subhash Chandra Bose, YSRCP candidate in Ramachandrapuram Assembly constituency, was released. Sources said the CEO had issued the orders after consulting the Election Commission instead of addressing a letter to Chief Secretary Pankaj Dwivedi as he had originally planned.
Mr. Bhanwar Lal said the situation in the 12 districts was peaceful with no untoward incident being reported from these areas. He said those organising bandh should not, in any way, obstruct campaigning by a candidate. The YSRCP was greatly relieved on another count, as returning officers in all the constituencies allotted “Ceiling Fan” symbol to all its candidates, as per the present rules which stipulated that the preference of sitting members must be respected while making symbol allotments out of EC's list of free symbols.
Meanwhile, 242 candidates remained in fray in the 18 Assembly constituencies after 25 candidates withdrew nominations on Monday, the last date for withdrawals.
 from Hindu

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