Preparations on for Pondy Assembly polls

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, MARCH 31. The Union Territory of Pondicherry, which is headed for an election to the Territorial Assembly, has a total voter strength of 6,56,987.

The election department is going ahead with preparations. As many as 778 polling booths would be opened to enable voters to exercise their franchise through electronic voting machines. This is the second poll after the 1999 Lok Sabha elections where the EVMs are being used here.

In the Lok Sabha poll held in September 1999, the voter strength here was 7,01,990. The full-fledged `operation weeding out' launched by the department to ensure a fault free voters list has reduced of voters' strength.

There are 30 Assembly constituencies in all the four regions of Pondicherry (21) Karaikal (six) Mahe (two) and Yanam (one).

The issue of photo ID cards to voters who had neither been issued the cards anytime before or who have lost the cards beyond recovery is now on in a phased manner in the Assembly constituencies. There would be a second round to issue the cards, an official source said.

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Section  : Southern States
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