Punjab is all set for making nominations for General Elections to Lok Sabha-2014 being held on April 30 from tomorrow 11.00 am as the notification for Lok Sabha elections in the state would be issued on April 2.Disclosing this here today, Mr. Supreet Singh Gulati, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab said that as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the state of Punjab the nominations could be filed from April 2 to 9 and the timings would be between 11.00 am to 3.00 pm. He said that the scrutiny of nominations would be on April 10 followed by withdrawl of candidature on April 11 & 12. He clarified that there would be no nominations on April 6 and 8, being public holidays. He said that the nomination papers were to be filed in Form 2 A and blank forms were available with District Election Officers/Returning Officers. Typed nomination paper would also be accepted provided they were in prescribed format.
He said that at the time of nomination only five persons could accompany the candidate in the office of Returning Officer and candidate can’t take more than three vehicles in the 100 meter radius of the said office.The Additional CEO said that the ECI has directed to conduct mock poll on EVMs at all polling booths at 6.00 am on polling day in the presence of polling agents representing candidates. He said that every Presiding Officer has been directed to poll 50 votes including votes to none of the above (NOTA) and delete such polled votes before again sealing the EVMs and further issuing mock poll certificate. He informed that first time a pilot project VVPAT was being introduced on 400 polling booths in Punjab where a voter would be able to confirm his/her cast vote as the name of candidate along with symbol would flash for five seconds on slip popped on the instrument. A voter would not be able to take that slip as it was just to show him the status of his/her cast vote.He said that till date 406 complaints have been received out of which 220 were disposed off. He said that to monitor the content of TV channels a state level Media Certification and Monitoring Committee has been formed.