Taking all steps to increase polling percentage, says Hanamkonda Collector

Special arrangements have been made for senior citizens above 80 years and individuals with disabilities exceeding 40 per cent to cast their votes from home.

Hanamkonda: District Election Officer and Collector Sikta Patnaik said that the district official machinery was taking all steps for fair and smooth elections besides attempting to increase the voter turnout in the upcoming Assembly elections in the district.

During a video conference held by the Election Commission of India’s Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma here on Wednesday, she said that they had taken steps to increase the polling percentage, particularly in the Warangal West constituency. The ECI officials, who reviewed the preparations for the elections, had given detailed instructions to the District Collector on various facets of the Assembly elections.

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This included directives on polling conduct, distribution of voter identity cards and voter information slips, ballot paper printing, EVM machine commissioning, facilitating home voting, polling staff training, setting up distribution centres, and more.

Giving details on the distribution of EPICs and voter information slips, Collector Patnaik said that 84 per cent of the voters in the Parkal constituency and 61 per cent of voters in the Warangal West constituency had received these slips.

“Printing of essential voting materials like EVM ballots, postal, and tender ballot papers has been completed, and ECIL engineers have begun facilitating the commissioning process in the district,” she said.

Moreover, special arrangements have been made for senior citizens above 80 years and individuals with disabilities exceeding 40 per cent to cast their votes from home.

“Special polling teams will visit their residences on specified dates, aiming to ensure their participation in the electoral process. As of now, 389 out of 655 eligible individuals have exercised their right to vote from home,” the district collector said and underscored the thorough training provided to polling officers, setting up facilitation centres, enabling postal ballot usage for electoral staff, and promoting the use of the cVIGIL App to lodge complaints on violation of model code of conduct (MCC) rules. “A control room at the district level has been established to address complaints promptly,” she added.