Haryana’s Chief Electoral Officer, Anurag Agarwal said that in the upcoming Lok Sabha general elections, every eligible voter must exercise their franchise. For this purpose, the Election Commission of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the Department of Posts to amplify its voter outreach and awareness efforts ahead of the forthcoming General Elections to Lok Sabha 2024.
The key objective is to convey the message to voters that the election festival is a matter of pride for the nation. The Election Commission and the election officials of states and Union territories are just mediators in this festival of democracy; the real strength lies with the voters. Without exercising their voting rights, this festival of Democracy remains incomplete. Anurag Agarwal today held an important meeting with department officers regarding the preparations for the Lok Sabha 2024 general elections.
Providing detailed guidelines on the nomination process, Anurag Agarwal said that the Returning Officers (RO) will make public information such as the last date, place, and time for filing nominations, scrutiny of nomination papers, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations. Notices will also be prominently displayed in government offices. Additionally, information will be provided on which Assistant Returning Officer (AROs) will accept nomination papers in place of ROs.
During the nomination process, candidates will be allowed to bring a maximum of 4 people with them to the office of the Returning Officer (RO) or Assistant Returning Officer (ARO). Furthermore, a maximum of 3 vehicles will be allowed within a 100-meter radius of the RO and ARO offices.
The Chief Electoral Officer said that the security deposit for Lok Sabha general elections will be Rs. 25,000. For candidates belonging to scheduled castes and tribes, this amount will be Rs. 12,500. The security deposit will be accepted only in cash or through treasury. Payment via cheque or demand draft will not be accepted.
He stated that the entire nomination process will be videographed, and all documents will be kept securely. A candidate can file a maximum of 4 nomination papers and can contest elections from 2 Lok Sabha constituencies. The nomination papers can be filled by the candidate or their proposer but cannot be sent via post; instead, they must be submitted personally at the RO/ARO offices.
Anurag Agarwal mentioned that candidates must also disclose their criminal records, if any, publicly. They must provide complete information about their criminal cases along with an affidavit in Form 26, and they will also inform their political party about it. The political party will be required to publish information about such criminal cases on their official website. Moreover, after filing nominations, candidates and political parties must also disclose information about criminal cases at least 3 times in newspapers and TV channels.