Piravom poll observer reaches Kochi

KOCHI: Umakanth Panwar, general observer appointed by the Central Election Commission for the Piravom bypoll has reached Kochi. A senior civil servant, Panwar is the chairman of the Uttarakhand Power Corporation. He will be the Election Observer who files reports before the Election Commission regarding various matters, including any code of conduct violation. He will be camping at Ernakulam Guest House during the election, said officials.Panwar, who reached Kochi from New Delhi, was received at the airport by Election Deputy Collector S Shanawas. Another official K Veerabhadra Reddy, who is the expenditure observer for the bypoll, has already reached Kochi. He will be heading the team of officials which consists of deputy observers and various election squads.The Central Election Commission has issued directives to take strict action against candidates and political parties violating the code of conduct and election expenditure. New guidelines in this regard have already been handed over to various officials. Though the process of submitting and withdrawing nominations has not been completed, the Election Commission has directed to strictly observe the campaigning of those candidates who are currently in the fray. Instructions have been issued to file day-to-day reports regarding this, said the officials. The media committee for observing advertisements and paid news has already started filing reports. The committee will check whether certain one-sided reports come under paid news. The committee has been functioning under Public Relations Department deputy director N S Anil Kumar based on the supervision of ADM E K Sujatha. Election expenditure observer K Veerabhadra Reddy has instructed to include a senior journalist in the committee.The media certification and monitoring centre, set up as per the directives of the Election Commission, will start functioning at the Civil Station in Kakkanad in a couple of days. The centre, with technical support from the National Informatics Centre, will have elaborate facilities for observing and collecting newspaper reports, TV reports, news-related programmes advertisements and SMS campaigns.