New Delhi, Mar 2 (UNI) To ensure peaceful polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission (EC) has barred persons having security cover from becoming polling or counting agents.

It said a tendency has been observed on the part of some candidates to appoint a sitting minister, MP or MLA as their polling and counting agent. These people generally have security cover provided by the state government or security agencies.

In view of the embargo placed by the Representation of the People Act, no security personnel deployed for security cover can move around polling stations which in turn restricted the movement of VIPs, defeating the very purpose of their appointment, the EC said in a letter to Uttar Pradesh chief secretary.

It was observed that on several occasions in the past, requests had been received by returning officers from VIPs to allow them to relinquish their security cover for poll purposes.

''The Commission cannot allow an MP/MLA/any other person to surrender his security, which was provided to him by the state/security agency after duly assessing the need of such security cover,'' it said.

The aspect that a recipient of such security cannot be allowed to deliberately jeopardise his own security should be kept in view by the poll officers at the time of approving polling and counting agents, the EC added.

UNI