The use of public properties for political advertisements during the election campaign has been prohibited in Jharkhand following an order issued by the chief electoral officer (CEO) in Ranchi on Sunday.

Additional CEO Manish Ranjan said that political advertisement on railway station premises, government hospitals, post offices, bus stands, airport, bridges, railway overbridges, electricity and telephone poles, public and government buildings and campuses would be prohibited during the period that came under the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha polls.

Ranjan also said that government buses and buses of municipal corporations could also not be used for political advertisements. “[Moreover] political parties will not be allowed to deface public properties through wall writing, posters, cut-outs, hoarding, and banners,” he said.

Guidelines had been issued for the use of school and college grounds for public meetings by political parties, said the poll officer. Permission to use the grounds would have to be taken from the school or college management committees and respective sub-division officers, he added.

As the Lok Sabha poll dates draw near, the districts have ramped up their voters’ awareness drives. The Ranchi administration on Sunday flagged off two vehicles, each named Voters’ Awareness Rath, to make voters aware and bring them to polling booths on May 6, the polling day for Ranchi constituency.

Earlier, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Latehar, Palamu and other districts had also launched similar kinds of awareness drives in their respective constituencies.

Ranchi deputy commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray said that the vehicles, equipped with video and audio messages, would spread awareness on electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter variable paper audit trail (VVPAT), the C-Vigil app, and the voter helpline number 1950.

This is for the first time when 100% VVPAT would be used during parliamentary polls in the state. Officials at the CEO office said that the availability of total ballot units in Jharkhand was 57,496, which was 195% of the total requirement. Similarly, availability of control units was 41,264, which was 140% of the total requirement, and availability of VVPATs was 40,135, which was 136% of the total requirement.

The Ranchi deputy commissioner said that initially, two vehicles were engaged in the voters’ awareness campaign, and the number of vehicles would be increased in the days to come.

He said that the Voters’ Awareness Raths would visit every block and panchayat of the constituency before the polls. The vehicles would also spread awareness regarding the facilities being provided to the differently abled people in these elections, so that they could also actively participate in the election process.

Jharkhand has a total of 77,462 voters with disabilities. Visually impaired voters would be provided with Braille-enabled voter slips, while pick-and-drop facility has been planned for physically challenged persons by the Election Commission of India.

First Published: Mar 18, 2019 01:04 IST