By IANS,
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh Governor Urmila Singh Monday stressed on providing adequate funds for modernisation of the state election commissions.
Inaugurating the 15th all-India conference of state election commissioners here, she said modernising the election commissions would enable them to perform their responsibilities in the right perspective.
Seventeen state election commissioners, as well as election officials from four states, have gathered here for the two-day meet to discuss electoral reforms, checking criminalisation of politics, modernisation and poll budgets.
The state election commissions have the mandate to conduct polls of the panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies.
The governor said the central and state governments should provide adequate infrastructure and resources to the state election commissions to strengthen the democratic set-up.
“Electronic voting machines, computers and latest facilities should be made available to the state election commissions so that they could function effectively and independently,” she said.
Himachal Election Commissioner Dev Swarup told reporters that issues and problems related to the state elections commissions were discussed.
“All the commissioners faced similar problems and demanded uniform service conditions and their status,” he added.
The conference observed necessary laws to minimise use of muscle and money power in elections of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies, making violation of code of conduct during elections a criminal offence and creation of a ministry to act as nodal agency for coordination between the union government and the state election commissions.