Mobile phone deposit facility for voters at Jubilee Hills polling stations on Nov 11

Voters in the Jubilee Hills by-election on November 11 can deposit their mobile phones at designated centres outside polling stations. The GHMC is setting up secure deposit counters as per ECI norms to help voters, especially senior citizens and women

Hyderabad: Voters of the Jubilee Hills assembly constituency will be able to deposit their mobile phones at designated facilities outside polling stations on polling day, November 11, as per Election Commission of India guidelines.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Election Wing is making elaborate arrangements for the mobile phone deposit centres. Before entering the polling station, voters must switch off their phones and hand them over to volunteers at the mobile phone facility centre in exchange for tokens. After casting their votes and leaving the station, voters can reclaim their phones on returning the tokens, a senior GHMC official deputed for the bypoll told Telangana Today.

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In case any voter forgets to retrieve their phone, volunteers will hand over uncollected devices to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) at the end of polling. The BLO shall return the phones to voters upon production of the tokens, the official added.

“At every polling station, as per the ECI specifications, the Election authorities concerned have to set up either the fibre mobile locker, mobile holder, or pigeon box type of mobile holder,” said the official.

ECI introduced the arrangement because many electors, especially senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and women, find it difficult to leave their phones with others before entering polling stations, the poll duty official explained. To avoid these issues, the ECI decided to set up mobile deposit facility centres.

Mobile phones will be allowed within 100 metres of a polling station only in a switched-off mode. The mobile deposit facility may not be available at some stations due to prevailing law and order situations, vulnerability or non-availability of volunteers, as stated in ECI guidelines.

For the Jubilee Hills by-election, District Election Officer R V Karnan identified 407 polling stations. According to the final voters’ list, 4,01,365 electors will cast their votes on November 11.