The ruling YSRCP, which wanted to benefit from the AP Assembly and Lok Sabha elections by using volunteers for the door to door delivery of cash to beneficiaries of various government welfare schemes like pensions. However, in a rude shock, the Central Election Commission has expressed its displeasure over the participation of volunteers in the election process and distribution of funds through them.
The Election Commission has imposed restrictions on AP volunteers.The ECI also asked the Government to take back mobile phones and equipment given to the village volunteers until the MCC was in force. The government was directed to make alternative arrangements for the distribution of schemes.
This was revealed by the State Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena on Saturday. He revealed that the Central Election Commission has ordered to keep village and ward secretariat volunteers away from the pension distribution program. He said that the Election Commission has made it clear that no scheme, pension or cash should be distributed to the beneficiaries through volunteers.
The Central Election Commission has made it clear in the instructions sent to the CEO that this decision has been taken as per the orders of the High Court.
Citizens for Democracy filed petitions in the High Court in February challenging the duties of the volunteers. In this case, on March 13, the High Court gave several important directions to the EC. The EC recently imposed restrictions on the duties of volunteers with the orders of the High Court.
The High Court is of the opinion that there are frequent complaints against volunteers, reports in newspapers, and the influence of volunteers at the field level on the voters. With this, the EC ordered to keep the volunteers away from the cash distribution of the welfare schemes till the end of the elections.
EC has already ordered to keep volunteers away from election duties. But some volunteers are participating in campaigns. EC became serious with the complaints coming against them and warned that action will be taken against volunteers participating in election campaigns.
The Central Election Commission has already clarified the election duties of volunteers and secretariat employees. It said that volunteers should not be entrusted with election duties under any circumstances. The EC has ordered that the village and ward secretariat staff should only be entrusted with the work of applying ink. AP CEO said that polling agents should not allow volunteers.
Citizens for Democracy (CFD) Secretary and retired IAS officer, Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar welcomed the Central Election Commission’s decision to keep volunteers away from the distribution of schemes. He reminded that CFD had earlier approached the court to completely eliminate the interference of volunteers in the election process. It is said that the ruling YCP has warned that there is a danger that the volunteer system will work according to political aspirations.
