HP polls: Bankers, postal officers asked to report suspicious

The election department of Himachal Pradesh today directed bankers and postal officers to present daily reports on "suspicious" cash transactions exceeding Rs 1 lakh in the run up to the state Assembly elections.
Joint Chief Electoral Officer, Vikas Sood, held a meeting with bankers on monitoring of election expenditure.
He directed that daily reports on 'Unusual and Suspicious RTGS transfers' exceeding Rs 1 Lakh by election candidates or their dependents, or any other suspicious transaction which may be used for bribing electors, must be provided to the respective district election officers in the state.
Suspicious transactions above Rs 10 lakh should also be reported to district Election Officer (DC) for monitoring. The banks should ensure cash vans of outsourced companies shall carry necessary documents issued by the bank, he said.

Separate bank accounts have to be opened by candidates exclusively for election expenditure, at least one day before the date on which they file nomination papers, Sood said.
The official said district election officers would issue instructions to banks to open dedicated counters solely for election purpose to facilitate prompt serviceto candidates.
Voting for the 68-seat Himachal Pradesh Assembly will take place on November 9 and the results will be declared on December 18.