Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi has said the comments by Anantapur MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy that not less than ₹50 crore has been spent in each constituency by all parties put together in the general elections was being inquired. He said that he would look into the matter as per rules when it comes to his notice.
Speaking to the media at the Secretariat on Friday, Mr. Dwivedi said he came to know about Mr. Reddy’s remark from media reports and that the issue was being examined by the Returning Officer of Tadipatri Assembly constituency.
On the release of Lakshmi’s NTR movie in Kadapa district, Mr. Dwivedi said notices were served on two theatres and FIR booked and that strict action would be taken against the officers responsible for the violation as the Election Commission of India has clearly imposed a restriction on releasing the film through its order dated April 10.
Counting
Mr. Dwivedi said a State-level training programme on counting of votes was being organised at the Secretariat on May 7 for eight to 10 officers from each district, who would train the Returning Officers (ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs). The ROs and AROs would impart training on the counting staff.
Meanwhile, Anantapur District Collector and Election Officer Veerapandian Ganesan has ordered an investigation into the comments made by Mr. Reddy.
Mr. Veerapandian told reporters on Friday that he had received complaints against Mr. Reddy from two independent candidates, who also contested from the Anantapur Lok Sabha constituency — S.V. P. Yadav and Vadde Kasinath. “The complaint has been forwarded to election nodal officer for further enquiry. Depending on the report given by the nodal officer, we will be taking further action,” The Collector said.