Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru/Udupi (ANK/HB)

Mangaluru, Apr 17: With less than 24 hours to go for the Lok Sabha elections 2019, polling officials and personnel deputed on poll duty at Rosario PU College and Canara Primary and High school here on Tuesday April 17, ensured that preparations are in full swing in the district and everything goes well.

The polling personnel have collected the election-related material and electronic voting machines (EVMs) as well as Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units.

In Dakshina Kannada, there are 1861 polling stations in which 2,495 VVPATs along with 2, 236 control unit and ballot units are being used.

Security has been beefed up ahead of elections within the city police commissionerate and district police limits. There are 883 polling booths within the Mangaluru city police commissionerate, in which 220 are critical booths and 663 are normal booths.

Out of 220 critical booths, 156 booths will be guarded by Central Armed Forces, while rest of the booths will be manned by micro observers and media observers. Pertaining to election security, 2 DCP's, 7 DySP\ACP, 16 PI, 37 PSI, ASI 79, 1,500 HC/PC/Home Guard, 2 Central Armed Force platoons, 8 KSRP, and 12 CAR platoons will be deployed within Mangaluru police commissionerate.

Polling will be held on April 18 from 7 am to 6 pm in all the 1,861 polling stations of the district. Counting of votes will be held on May 23.

Mustering for Udupi-Chikkamagaluru LS constituency held

The mustering for Udupi- Chikkamagaluru LS constituency was held at St Cecily’s school Udupi here on April 17. Around 1 pm on Wednesday all the EVMs and VVPATs were dispatched from the school to polling booths.

The strong room was opened in the presence of deputy commissioner Hephsiba Korlapati, ADC Vidya Kumari, superintendent of police Nisha James and other observers. The security has been beefed up at the mustering centre. Around 105 CCTVs have been installed around the centre to have closer view on activities of officials.

For the sufficient space, this time EC has decided to hold counting in the same school. Each constituency requires two strong rooms. Hence, it requires 32 rooms, but so far there is no school that large in Udupi.

There are 226 polling booths in Udupi constituency. There are 865 polling booths in the district, out of them 180 have been identified as sensitive, 685 are general polling booths, 36 are in naxal affected areas and proper security arrangements are done in these areas.

SP Nisha James informed that the police department and troops has conducted combing operation 8 times in Naxal affected area. Officials of prison department, forest guards, 4 KSRP forces, two ITDP squads are deployed in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency.

Tahsildhar Pradeep Kurdekar told media, “The Election Commission in Udupi has made all the food arrangements and basic infrastructure for the duty officials. Three doctors and three nurses have been placed in the mustering centres. Medical kit has been provided for each booth. 5% additional staff will stay back in mustering centre. About 80% of private buses have been used for transportation. We have given exemption to 35 Christian community staff.”

All officials of the election have gathered since morning 7.30 am at the school ground here in Udupi for the election duty and will take their positions spread over the district at their respective polling booths.

There are six sakhi polling stations in Udupi, 25 in the district, and two polling booths for persons with disabilities and one for ethnic group set up in the district.

The total ballot units are 1,379, control units are 1280 and there are 1,477 VVPATs being used. Two BEL engineers have been appointed to each assembly constituency. The EC has installed CCTVs in 54 polling booths, videographers in 15 booths, micro observers in polling booths and central paramilitary forces have been appointed in 21 booths. Women paramilitary forces will be placed in mustering centres.

The counting process will be held in St Cecily School, Udupi while earlier it was held in T M Pai School.