The Chief Election commissioner V S Sampath talking on Electoral Reforms at Thiruvanthapuram today said that he recommends the law ministry to treat all paid news as electoral offences.

He says, "Corruption implications of paid news has its impact on every one... media, candidates and people and it is one that causes maximum damage to the electoral process."

He says that whoever is indulged in that offence should be made to face consequences. EC finds fault with Government advertisements on its achievements just days before the announcement of the polls.  He says that it should be stopped.  EC says that the auditing of the political party’s funds is needs urgent attention.

Talking on the steps taken on the radical reforms in the conduct of elections EC says, "We have a long way to go in electoral reforms. Inadequacies have been felt and expressed in many areas. Remedial measures are slow in coming."

But, EC says, the paid news first has to be treated as electoral offence by the law ministry first it is making maximum damage.

-SriJa