Make elections a true festival

Warangal: Elections, a true festival of democracy, Warangal Parliamentary Constituency returning officer (RO) Prashanth Jeevan Patil has said, appealing to people to use their right to vote without fail on April 11.

In a statement on Tuesday, he urged the eligible voters to make sure their presence at their respective polling stations and cast their vote prudently. Referring to 'Naa Vote' (My Vote), an app operative on smart phones, he said that it allows the voters to search for his electoral photo identity card number with name and locate their respective polling stations.

"In a bid to help the voters to identify the contestants in fray, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ensured name, photograph and symbol of each candidate on the electronic voting machine units. The Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) allows voters to verify their vote was cast correctly or not," Patil said. The voters can also get information about their polling stations by dialling toll free number 1950, he added.

The voters can establish their identity by producing any one of the 11 photo identity documents - passport, driving licence, service identity cards of the Central and State governments, public sector undertakings and public limited companies, bank or post office passbooks carrying photographs of voters, PAN card, smart cards issued under the National Population Register, MNREGA job card and health insurance smart card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour, pension document with photograph, official identity cards issued to MPs/ MLAs/ MLCs and Aadhaar Card, the government release.

The RO said that administration has set up seven Sakhi polling stations, exclusively for women, and model polling stations, one each in seven Assembly segments of Warangal PC.

Sakhi Polling Stations: Raghunathpally, Thorrur, Parkal, Kazipet, Fort Warangal, Ellanda and Bhupalpally.

Model Polling Stations: Dharmasagar, Laxminarayanapuram, Oglapur, St. Peter's Public School in Hanamkonda, SR Junior College in Warangal, ZPSS Boys in Hasanparthy and SCCL Mines Rescue Training School in Bhupalpally.

Further Patil appealed to people to lodge their complaints through C-Vigil or 1950 toll free number if any one tries to influence voters with unethical practices such as money, liquor, sops etc.