Polling to be held at 2,470 stations in Nellore, Chittoor: RO

Nellore: District Collector and Tirupati Lok Sabha Constituency Returning Officer K V N Chakradhar Babu informed that they had made all necessary arrangements for conducting the polling at 2,470 stations in Nellore and Chittoor districts on Friday.

Addressing media at the Collectorate here on Thursday, he said 17,10,699 voters are going to franchise their franchise from 3 Assembly segments in Chittoor and 4 Assembly segments in Nellore. He said the polling will be conducted between 7 am and 7 pm following all Covid precautions and they had deputed medical teams for checking the voters while entering the booths and also for any assistance. The polling personnel will conduct mock polling at 6 am and proceed with the actual process later, he said.

Chakradhar Babu said 28 candidates were in the fray and additionally, NOTA was included. He added 10,850 polling personnel have been deputed for election duties and all staff members have been vaccinated considering the risks of infection. He said 23 companies of central troops, 3 companies of special force personnel besides the police personnel are in place for monitoring the law and order situation at the polling stations. He said 877 critical polling stations have been identified and the special forces would be deployed there.

The Collector also said the election campaign concluded on Thursday evening and asked the people from other places who are taking up campaigns in the constituency limits to leave the places immediately. He said the Election Commission of India provided postal ballot facility for the elderly and physically challenged persons for the first time and 508 octogenarians and 284 physically challenged and 3,195 election staff will avail it. He said 497 service voters have already sent their votes through electronic mode. He said the counting of votes will be conducted on May 2 for 4 segments in Nellore at DKW Government College and for 3 Assembly segments of Chittoor in Tirupati. Voters can get their polling station details through 'Know Your Polling Station' app.

He informed that they had seized Rs 4 crore worth liquor, cash and 18 vehicles and booked 145 cases against the violators. As per the decision of the ECI, they had suspended the volunteers from the election-related duties and 92 per cent voter's slips have been so far distributed to the voters. SP Bhaskar Bhushan was also present.