Vizianagaram Administration Collects Sensitive Booth Data Ahead Of Local Polls

Sensitive polling booth data being collected to ensure free and fair elections: Vizianagaram Collector Ramsundar Reddy

Vizianagaram district administration is collecting data on sensitive and hypersensitive villages as it prepares for local body elections, with the State Election Commission expected to issue notification in a couple of days. District collector S.Ramsundar Reddy said the exercise was aimed at taking remedial measures in those areas and ensuring free and fair polls in association with the police department.

Booths with high vote share to be classified

Speaking to The Hindu in Vizianagaram, Mr. Ramsundar Reddy said polling booths where a particular candidate had received more than 75% of the votes would be designated as sensitive areas. He said the data would help polling officers prevent possible malpractices during the elections.

The collector said he had held an initial review meeting with Superintendent of Police A.R. Damodar and other senior officials. The meeting was part of the administration’s preparations for conducting the elections, according to his statement.

“We have already made arrangements for ballot boxes and ballot papers,” Mr. Ramsundar Reddy said.

Preparations for nominations and polling

The administration was also taking suggestions from senior officials for the effective conduct of the election process. Mr. Ramsundar Reddy said this included the stages of filing nominations, withdrawals and conducting the polls according to the schedule of the Commission.

The preparations cover several levels of local government elections in the district. Vizianagaram Municipal Corporation is making arrangements for the election of a mayor and 62 corporators at the district headquarters, according to the collector.

The elections will also cover Nellimarla and Rajam Nagar Panchayats, along with 27 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies and Mandala Parishad Territorial constituencies.

Party symbols and sarpanch elections

The elections will be held using party symbols. Elections for sarpanches, however, will be conducted without party symbols. The distinction forms part of the election arrangements being made ahead of the notification by the State Election Commission.

Source: The Hindu