Bribes for votes: Free gifts to voters banned by ECI

[Barun Mitra, New Delhi]

'Free TV' scheme banned ahead of Indian election

AFP, 2 March 2011

NEW DELHI — Election authorities in India banned a political party on
Wednesday from handing out free television sets ahead of state polls
next month in a crackdown on "gifts-for-votes" schemes.

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the southern state of
Tamil Nadu had planned to distribute 100,000 TV sets in the coming 45
days in a scheme funded by the state, but the Election Commission
ruled this would violate the rules.

The party has doled out over three million colour TV sets under a
programme in the name of "women's recreation" that was a key plank of
their victorious election strategy in elections in 2006.

"The heads of departments have been asked to stop forthwith the
distribution of free colour TVs till the elections process is over,"
the state's chief electoral officer Praveen Kumar said in a statement.

"Severe action" would be taken against officials found violating the
code, which prevents political parties from handing out gifts before
elections that could be seen as bribes.

The DMK in their election manifesto in 2006 promised a free television
set to every family in Tamil Nadu, a state with an estimated
population of 62 million.

The television was being given for "women's recreation and general
knowledge", the party stated in their manifesto.

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