CCP vote counting to be held on March 13 itself
Victory processions banned; closure of establishments ordered
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, MARCH 11: The State Election Commission (SEC) today decided to hold election and counting for the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) on March 13 itself and has banned victory processions to ensure law and order remains under control.
The district magistrate on Friday issued two separate notifications under section 144 of Criminal Procedures Code (CrPC) banning victory processions and bursting of firecrackers by candidates or supporters between 9 pm of March 13 and 6 am of March 14.
In yet another notification, the magistrate has ordered the closure of commercial establishments like hotels, restaurants, bars, grocery shops, recreation centers and others situated within the radius of 100 meters of each of the Polling Stations in the jurisdiction of CCP on the polling day.
District Collector Mihir Vardhan said that these measures are initiated as police anticipate law and order problems due to polling and counting on the same day.
“The apprehension raised by police was mainly due to victory processions that might take ugly turns,” he told a press conference.
“It was brought to our notice that most of the commercial establishments within 100 meters of polling booths remain crowded with the supporters of different candidates, leading to problems,” Vardhan said in the notification.
The State Election Commission officials on Friday held review meeting with the senior police officials to ensure that there is free and fair polling.
Vardhan said police would begin preventive arrests in next 48 hours.
He said the Commission has received 14 complaints of violation of election code of conduct in the run up to the polls. “We are investigating all the cases,” he said adding, eight observers and 11 sector magistrates will keep vigil to prevent election related malpractices.
“There are large number of officials who are available on the field to make sure that there is no luring of voters by illegal means,” Vardhan claimed.
The 30 wards in CCP will have 68 polling booths where elections would be conducted on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). In order to ensure that EVM malfunctioning do not halt the process, 30 spare machines are kept in reserve.
Of the total 32,090 voters, 86 are physically challenged to whom fifteen wheel chairs and attendants would be provided at the polling booths.
The commission officials said that there are 378 voters missing with family linkages while 16 are without family linkages.
In all 86 voters from the list are dead while 36 are duplicate voters, which mean their names appear in two different wards. “This is basically because the names of the two persons with different spellings are been registered,” Vardhan said.
Vardhan informed that there are 6656 senior citizen voters, who will be given priority for voting by the staff. “There is one voter who is a prisoner. But prisoners don’t have right to vote so his name is being monitored to ensure that there is no bogus voting,” the collector said.
There are five blind voters, of whom four are bed ridden.
The election commission has designated 450 polling staff that will set up booths on Saturday afternoon itself. The trials for voting will be conducted on Saturday.
Vardhan informed that 222 security personnel would be deployed at various booths, while 120 security personnel will be patrolling the areas. He said that although there is no ‘sensitive polling booth’, but in case of clustered polling booth, a senior police officer of the rank of head constable or assistant sub inspector would be in charge.
