Chief Electoral Officer I V Subba Rao on Tuesday clarified that television news channels have been stopped from broadcasting the polling process from Nizamabad Urban under the orders of the district collector and the Revenue Divisional Officer.
The district collector is also the District Magistrate, and the RDO is also the sub-Judicial Magistrate. Speaking to media persons in his chambers at the secretariat, from where he is monitoring the voting process in all the 12 assembly constituencies, I V Subba Rao said that these officials are empowered to stop broadcast by news channels, under the Cable Act.
The CEO also clarified that the bar on broadcasting of voting from the Nizamabad constituency will be in force till the end of the polling process.
He said that candidates were not supposed to talk to television channels, and that cases would be booked against the candidates and channels found violating this rule.
Subba Rao also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing polling process. He added that apart from technical glitches, polling was being conducted briskly and without any problems.
The CEO said that the start of polling was delayed by about a quarter of an hour in two or three places, as the polling agents reached the polling station late.
He added that the polling was also going on at a brisk pace in the 5 constituencies in which ballot papers are being used, with each vote taking about a minute to be cast.