In a move to track down mischievous messages during campaigning, the Election Commission on Friday banned, for the first time, the use of Short Messaging Service by candidates 48 hours before polling for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assemblies.
"The innovativeness of human mind is endless," Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami said, adding this was for the first time the EC took up such an exercise.
The imposition of the ban was announced after a meeting of the three-member Commission with the poll observers in New Delhi.
The CEC said the Commission had two rounds of meeting with service providers and the move was aimed at tracking down the source of any mischievous SMS.
"There will be no bulk SMS campaign 48 hours before the polling," Gopalaswami said.
The service providers also assured the Commission that they would be able to track down any such SMS within 30 minutes of getting information from the EC.
The two-phase polling in Gujarat would be held on December 11 and 16 while second and last round of polling in Himachal Pradesh is slated for December 19.
Replying to a question on special arrangements being made for people affected by Godhra riots and staying in relief camps, the CEC said 19,257 people were staying in camps and all of them have been covered by Elector Photo Identity Cards.
When approached by the Commission, the people staying in camps said they were 'comfortable' and would be exercising their franchise in a nearby polling station, he said.
Like in Uttar Pradesh, substantial number of absentees and shifted voters were of 'some concern' to the Commission, Gopalaswami said adding a total of 28 lakh voters names have been deleted out of a total of 3.65 crore electorate in Gujarat.
The CEC said the Commission also cautioned poll observers to be 'vigilant' to check any attempt to create communal tension during the period.
On the Himachal Pradesh, he said the poll observers have been told to ensure identification of voters in view of small constituencies and people shifting from higher reaches to lower areas.
The observers have been specifically asked to tour their allotted constituencies extensively and build confidence among weaker and disadvantaged sections and monitor strictly the enforcement of model code of conduct.
