The Chief Election Commissioner said that the Model Code of Conduct has come into force with immediate effect. He said for the first time in the Lok Sabha elections, the Commission will deploy Central Awareness Observers to oversee the effective management of the electoral process at the field level mainly in respect of voter awareness and facilitation.

Regarding the checking of illegal money flow, he said Expenditure Observers from Central Government Services would be appointed to keep a close watch on election expenditure of the candidates and to ensure that no inducement is offered to the electors during the election process for exercise of their franchise.

On paid news, Mr Sampth said that the election commission has asked the Centre to make it an electoral offence to curb its menace. He said the Commission is already trying to curb its practice by monitoring the expenditure of candidates.

In addition, election commission will deploy Flying Squads, Static Surveillance Teams, Accounting Teams and Video Surveillance Teams to curb the money menace.

The CEC added that to facilitate the voters to know where he or she is enrolled as a voter and the serial number in the Electoral Roll, the Commission has made arrangements for the distribution of photo voter slips.

Voter verifiable paper audit trial VVPAT system will be put to use in the election in some of the constituencies. Under the system, voters will be able to know whether their votes have been properly registered in EVMs with the help of printed slips.

Presently the Commission has six hundred VVPAT units and another twenty thousand units are likely to be received by the end of this month.