ECI issued no order to stop welfare schemes in AP: CEO

Vijayawada: Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena has said the Election Commission has not issued any order to stop the welfare schemes in Andhra Pradesh.

“EC did not do anything except ask for details of some schemes and to allow release of funds to the schemes after some time in the wake of enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct,” he stated here on Tuesday.

In an interaction with the media, the CEO said that out of a total number of 4.30 lakh people who applied for postal ballot, so far 3.03 lakh persons availed the facility. The home voting and postal ballot voting commenced from May 3 and 4 in some districts though there were some issues in the setting up of the facilitation centres.

He said that in the case of some employees failing to use their postal ballots were also being allotted these again to use such a facility at the concerned facilitation centre. This facility was being provided on May 7 and 8.

The CEO said that the police officers and personnel who were assigned for VVIP security were asked to avail postal ballot facility on May 7 and 8. In case such personnel still fail to avail postal ballots, they would be given another opportunity on May 9.

Mukesh Meena warned of stern action against the employees who were either accepting or giving bribe to influence persons casting their vote through postal ballot. Such employees could be suspended from the service.

Four persons were arrested and FIRs registered against them at Tadepalligudem in West Godavari, one police constable was suspended at Anantapur as he was distributing cash by carrying a list of employees, two persons were caught with cash at Visakhapatnam East segment and an amount seized from him. A case of someone transferring money through UPI to some employees in Ongole was noticed and action taken. Nearly eight to 10 employees were identified based on call data and details of bank transactions, he said.