Arrangements in place for Telangana ULB polls

Apart from GWMC and KMC, polling will be held for Siddipet, Achampet, Nakrekal, Kothur and Jadcherla municipalities

Hyderabad: Amidst Covid-19 pandemic, the State Election Commission (SEC) has made elaborate arrangements to enable over 11.59 lakh voters including 5.84 lakh women to cast their votes during the elections to two Municipal Corporation – Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) and Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) – and five Municipalities on April 30.

These voters will exercise their franchise in 1,539 polling booths including 878 booths in GWMC and 376 in KMC. Apart from GWMC and KMC, polling will be held for Siddipet, Achampet, Nakrekal, Kothur and Jadcherla municipalities.

State Election Commissioner C. Parthasarathi on Wednesday reviewed the arrangement and the situation with the district Collectors concerned.

Instructions were issued to officials to strictly adhere to the Covid-19 safety protocol. Face masks, face shields, hand gloves, sanitisers and necessary material have already been given to the 9,809 polling staff. Priority was given to establish polling booths in spacious halls keeping in view of the pandemic apart from sanitising the premises properly.

Instructions were also issued to the staff to download Arogya Sethu app and PPE kits were given to those who will be handling ballot boxes. With the assistance of the police, the SEC has made elaborate security arrangements for the smooth conduct of the elections.

It has also identified 676 sensitive polling booths in the ULBs. A majority of the sensitive polling booths are in GWMC and KMC.

Eighty per cent of the voter slips have already been distributed to voters. Flying squads and static surveillance teams have also been formed in every ULB to monitor the situation at the polling stations. Officials dispatched 2500 ballot boxes to the polling booths and training was also given to the polling staff to conduct the elections in a hassle-free manner.

Elections to 7 ULBs Corporations – GWMC, KMC, municipalities – Siddipet, Achampet, Jadcherla, Nakrekal, Kothur

• Total voters: 1159112
• Men: 573909
• Women: 584963
• Others: 240
• Polling booths: 1539
• Staff attending polling duty: 9809
• Total sensitive polling booths in 11 ULBs: 676
• Ballot boxes dispatched to polling booths: 2500
• Security personnel were deployed: 4557

Action taken on MCC violations up to April 27

• Cash seized: Rs.3.65 lakh
• Liquor seized: 479.37 litres worth Rs1.25 lakh
• Complaints received: 37
• FIRs filed: 67
• Banners removed: 579
• Posters removed: 1336
• Wall writings removed: 34
• Flexes removed: 48
• Party flags removed: 376
• Others: 426

SEC to enforce Covid guidelines strictly at counting centres

In view of rise in Covid-19 cases in Telangana, the State Election Commission (SEC) has decided to enforce stringent provisions during counting of votes.

SEC Secretary M Ashok Kumar said victory processions would not be allowed after the counting of votes and not more than two persons would be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or his/her authorized representative to receive the certificate of election from the Returning Officer concerned.

Any violation of these guidelines will be viewed very seriously, he added.

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