The Chennai District Election Office has identified R.K. Nagar Assembly segment as ‘expenditure sensitive’ and has sent a report to the Election Commission to initiate measures to check corrupt practices during the Lok Sabha elections.
“R.K Nagar in Chennai North Parliamentary Constituency has been identified as expenditure sensitive for this Lok Sabha elections based on past experience. We have sent a report to the Election Commission of India,” said an official of the Chennai District Election Office.
Based on past history during elections, profile of the Assembly segments in the district and other developments in the area, the election officials have included only R.K. Nagar in the list of segments that is prone to high expenditure and corrupt practices. After approval by the Election Commission, the segment in the Chennai North parliamentary constituency will be termed as expenditure sensitive. More assistant expenditure observers, flying squads, static surveillance teams and video surveillance teams will be involved. The election office would facilitate effective functioning of the teams engaged in expenditure monitoring work.
Rallies to be recorded
More teams would be deployed on the recommendation of the expenditure observer in a few days. The assistant expenditure observers would supervise the videography of sensitive events and public rallies in R.K. Nagar area ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Additional video teams would be deployed to record all the processions and the rallies organised by political parties in the segment.
Residents in R.K.Nagar said a few locals staged a protest in the area recently, alleging corrupt practices during the previous byelection. They burnt ₹20 currency notes that were reportedly distributed to voters ahead of the previous bypoll, said a resident.
On Tuesday, static surveillance teams and flying squads started checking vehicles and localities in R.K. Nagar to prevent distribution of cash.
Officials said awareness programmes will be conducted in such areas on the new technological options available for voters to report corrupt practices.