Date:07/11/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/11/07/stories/2009110759560300.htm

Kerala - Kochi

Polling materials distributed

Staff Reporter

More than 750 officials deployed for electoral duty

18 polling booths identified as critical, 14 sensitive
Show cause issued to nine absentee presiding officers

KOCHI: Polling equipment for the byelection to the Ernakulam Assembly constituency was distributed to the polling officials from the Centenary Hall of the Maharaja’s College on Friday. Polling will be held in 137 booths across the constituency on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The distribution of polling equipment started at 8 a.m. and was completed by 11 a.m. More than 750 officials, including those kept on reserve, had been deployed for election duty.

Officials along with the equipment reported at the polling booths in the constituency by 1 p.m. Twenty buses and 24 jeeps were pressed into service to take officials to polling booths. The polling equipment distributed included voting machines, voters’ list, voters’ register, forms for challenged votes, stationary articles etc.

Nine presiding officers failed to turn up to collect the equipment. Show cause notices would be issued to them based on which disciplinary action would be taken. They were replaced by officials placed on reserve. Besides, another seven officials reported late and an explanation was sought from them for the delay. Another official who complained of dizziness was hospitalised and was duly replaced by a reserve official.

In all polling booths except those with more than 1,400 voters, one presiding officer, three polling officials and one security personnel have been deployed. An additional polling official has been posted in 15 polling booths with more than 1,400 voters.

While the constituency has no problematic booths, 18 booths have been identified as critical and 14 as sensitive. Additional security cover has been provided in all these 32 booths.

Polling booth number 137 at the Girinagar LP School has the lowest number of voters – 410. Polling booth number 76 operating out of St. Augustine’s High School, Ernakulam, with 1,562 voters has the highest number of voters in the list.

The constituency has 1,43,091 voters – 70,852 male voters and 72,239 female voters – in addition to 210 service voters.

Micro observers, 101 of them, would be deployed in polling booths on the election day for reporting the developments there and in the vicinity of the election observer. Eleven sectoral teams to be deployed would attend to the glitches developed by voting machines.