CENTRAL OFFICE CIRCULAR No.53

Summary

This two-page Swatantra Party Central Office Circular No. 53, dated 21 September 1966, transmits to party members a booklet titled “Organisation of Elections to Union and State Legislatures in India.” S. V. Raju describes the booklet as a compendium of rules and regulations concerning the nomination of candidates to state assemblies and Parliament. He notes that only the tabulation on pages 26–30, concerning the allocation of symbols and free symbols, is out of date; the remainder is presented as useful for the forthcoming elections.

The circular also encloses an Election Commission of India letter dated 13 September 1966 on unofficial identity slips. The enclosure specifies the information needed to identify a voter—name, electoral-roll serial number, and the number of the roll part in which the name appears—and recommends including the polling-station name and serial number. It permits slips to carry a candidate’s name, party name, and facsimile of the allotted symbol, but prohibits slogans or exhortations to vote and warns that distributing such slips within 100 metres of a polling station would constitute impermissible canvassing.

Key points

• S. V. Raju circulated a booklet on the organisation of elections to Union and State Legislatures.
• The booklet compiles rules and regulations governing candidate nominations.
• The booklet’s pages 26–30 on symbol and free-symbol allocation were identified as out of date.
• The enclosure from the Election Commission addresses unofficial voter identity slips.
• Identity slips should include the voter’s name, electoral-roll serial number, and roll-part number.
• Candidate, party, and symbol information may appear on slips, but slogans and voting exhortations are prohibited.
• Distribution of such slips within 100 metres of a polling station is described as impermissible canvassing.