Tirupati: Voter slips to be distributed for civic polls

Tirupati: State Election Commissioner N Ramesh Kumar stated that every voter will be given the voter slip which has to be door delivered to them by district official machinery.

In this process, the services of volunteers should not be used. Municipal staff or some other machinery has to hand over the voter slips, he clarified. This will enable the voters to know their polling station and other details.

Addressing the media in Tirupati on Saturday after reviewing the poll preparedness with collectors, SPs and municipal commissioners of Chittoor, Anantapur, Kadapa, Kurnool and Nellore districts at SV University Senate Hall, he said that at the district level helpline will be set up in every municipality through which voters can know their polling station information.

He said that panchayat elections created a conducive atmosphere in the state to conduct municipal polls.

Nowhere in the state repoll was necessitated during panchayat elections which was a positive development and created confidence among voters on officials and SEC.

Since municipal polls will be held on party basis, model code of conduct has to be strictly implemented and the SEC has instructed the officials on this. For this, mobile squads will be pressed into service and violators have to face criminal charges.

Not more than five people should participate in door-to-door campaign in view of the Covid protocols which the SEC wants to implement strictly.

The SEC added that permissions for road shows will be given at a single window system. Anti-evasion cell and district official machineries will focus on the flow of liquor and money distribution during the electioneering.

Campaigning around 100 metre distance of polling stations will not be allowed. Sensitive and hyper sensitive polling stations will be brought under surveillance where videography and web casting will be done. Micro observers will monitor the situation there with special powers.

The nominations of those who withdrew them due to various pressures in the poll process last year can be considered now provided if they give a written complaint.

However, which were rejected during scrutiny cannot be considered now. Similarly, if any candidate shows proof to say that he or she was obstructed from filing nominations earlier, they will be reconsidered, he said.

At the review meeting, SEC directed the officials to conduct municipal polls in a free and fair manner.

Election Commission secretary Kannababu, commissioner and director of municipal administration M M Nayak, additional DGP Sanjay, Anantapur range DIG Kranti Rana Tata, Chittoor collector M Hari Narayanan, other collectors, SPs and commissioners participated.