Political parties meet CEC to discuss U'khand polls

Political parties in Uttarakhand met the Chief Election Commissioner to discuss the upcoming Assembly polls, with the ruling Congress urging that elections in some seats be held in March in view of weather conditions and BJP seeking transfer of officials posted for too long in the same districts.
Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, who is on a two day visit to the state, met all political parties here yesterday to take their suggestions on how to ensure free and fair polls in the state due early next year, official sources here said.
BJP suggested that officials posted for too long in the same district should be transferred elsewhere as prolonged deployment strengthens the possibility of misuse of official machinery.

BJP asked the commission to put a stop to the alleged misappropriation of discretionary funds for party purposes besides stalling work initiated on promises made by the chief minister without completing financial and legal formalities to influence voters.
Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kishore Upadhyay urged the commission to identify voters whose name appears in the list of more than one constituency and ensure that a voter's name figures in list of of just one assembly seat.
He also said at least 35 assembly seats in Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Rudraparayag, Pauri, Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh, Chamapawat and Bageshwar districts receive heavy snowfall from January 15 to February 20, so much so that voters in about 500 polling booths fail to turn up to cast their votes.

He requested that in these constituencies located in the hills, polling should be held in the first week of March when the weather generally clears up.