An election manual describing election offences and punishments prescribed for each case will soon be distributed among returning officers, assistant reluming officers and law enforcing agencies

The manual being prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs is meant for helping election officials and law enforcing 'agencies lake on-the-spot decisions to ensure free and (air elections, an Election Commission source told The Daily Star.

Meanwhile, the IC-point code of conduct formulated at the initiative of the commission. is also being sent to election officers and law enforcing agencies. The commission has already sent 10 copies of the code to the head offices of each political party fielding candidates in the election.

The manual and the code will help local officials and law enforcing agencies to identify violations of election laws and the code and take steps In time lb keep the situation under control. According to the source, the Ministry of Home Affairs has opened a cell to monitor election offences. A long book has also been opened to record different types of offences to be observed during campaigns, and election. The Election Commission has requested law enforcing agencies to open such log books in all thanas to record offences.

The log books on election offences would help the Election Commission and the law enforcing agencies check violation of election laws and rules more effectively in fu-turc. the source said.

Instructions arc also being issued to returning officers, assistant returning officers and election officers to properly brief presiding officers and polling officers to check casting of false votes.

Presiding officers and polling officers would be asked to ensure that non-crasablc ink to be applied on a right-hand finger of each voter got dried before a voter drops his ballot paper in a ballot box. They will also be asked to examine if the appearance of a voter and his statements tally with the records of the voter concerned.