Voters banned from carrying phones inside polling stations

SHILLONG, Feb 24: The Election department has issued an order imposing a ban on electors from carrying mobile phones inside the polling booth.
“It is reiterated that no voter should carry or use mobile phones, cordless phones, wireless sets etc. within the polling booth (voting compartment) with the explicit objective of preventing a voter/elector from misuse of devices, while casting their votes, which violates the secrecy of voting within the voting compartment,” the order said.
The order also said that only observer, chief electoral officer, district election officer, returning officer, micro observer, presiding officer, other polling officials, security personnel, and authorised media personnel are allowed to carry mobile phones inside the polling station, but they will keep their mobile phones in silent mode and ensure strict compliance with ECI instructions. However, media personnel are strictly prohibited from taking photo/video recordings from inside the polling station.
Explaining the reason behind the ban, Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor said, “Some unscrupulous voters and some elements in some political parties indulge in and encourage this sort of undemocratic and unprincipled behaviour by intending to click photos of who they have voted for and later show it to political parties and demand money from them.”
“The clicked pictures are intended to be used as proof to political parties by these unscrupulous voters to claim money. That’s why we have issued the ban,” the official said.