Religious places cannot be used to set up campaign offices: EC

Lucknow, Apr 11 (PTI) Religious places or their compounds
cannot be used to set up local campaign offices of candidates
contesting elections, India's Election Commission has said.

According to EC guidelines, the office meant for
campaigning purposes set up by various candidates should not
not be an encroachment on public or private property or near
any educational institution, Chief Electoral Officer Anuj
Kumar Bishnoi said here in the capital of northern state of
Uttar Pradesh.

It should also not be within 200 metres of any polling
station and only one party flag and banner of the size not
more that 4x8 feet would be allowed on it, he said.

The commission also reiterated that no outsider would be
allowed in the constituency once campaigning comes to an end.

The CEO said that the only exception would be the state
in-charge of political parties who could stay back at the
state headquarters.

"The state in-charge would, however, be required to
provide the address of their lodging and would be allowed only
to move between that place and the party office," the CEO
said.

To check that there were no outsiders once campaigning
comes to an end, a thorough checking would be conducted at
lodges and other such places, he added. PTI SAB
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