A team of 17 ECI officials assessed poll preparedness, held meetings with political parties, central and state government officials and enforcement agencies.
Published Oct 05, 2023 | 7:29 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 05, 2023 | 9:48 PM
CEC Rajiv Kumar. (ECI website)
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has urged all voters in Telangana to exercise their franchise in the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
After assessing the state’s poll preparedness, Kumar told reporters on Thursday, 5 October, that malpractices such as wooing voters by gifting money or materials would be dealt with with an iron hand.
He was heading a 17-member team from the Election Commission of India (ECI) that arrived in the state on Tuesday. The team assessed the state’s poll preparedness and held meetings with state officials and representatives of political parties.
“The ECI is fully committed without any doubt to deliver fair, transparent and inducement-free elections. In the last two-and-half days, we met the representatives of AAP, BSP, CPI(M), INC, BJP, AIMIM, TDP and BRS,” Kumar said.
The commissioner further said that the political parties requested to keep the election inducement-free. “Some said that voter IDs should be linked with Aadhaar. They also requested for the timely distribution of voter information slips, Absent, Shifted and Deceased/Duplicated (ASD) list and voters’ list in advance,” he said.
The political parties also demanded the deployment of central armed police forces in sensitive locations and micro-observers in polling stations, especially in urban areas. They also asked for a check to be kept on hate speeches on digital platforms.
Kumar said that adequate measures had been taken to avoid wrongful deletion of names from electoral rolls. “Deletions are made only after receiving the Form-7, and verification by booth-level officers. In case of deaths, names will be deleted only after verification/production of the death certificate,” he said.
The commissioner said Telangana has 3.17 crore voters, including 8.11 lakh first-timers. Of the total, nearly equal are men and women voters (1.58 crore), and 2,557 transgenders. The state also has 5,06 lakh persons with disabilities, 4.43 lakh voters aged 80 or above, 7,689 centenarians, and 15,338 service voters.
Kumar further added that 22 lakh voters were deleted in 2022 and 2023. A special drive will be taken up to encourage voters, especially women, to cast their votes. He said all polling booths will have toilets, drinking water, poll volunteers, sufficient light, signage, ramps for wheelchairs, helpdesks, and voter facilitation centres.
For the first time in Telangana, people aged 80 and above can cast their votes from their residence. People with 40 percent or more disabilities, too, could vote from home, if they wish so.
Kumar requested the members of the public to alert the election commission of any corrupt practices. He said it could be done over the ECI’s cVIGIL App, which could be downloaded from play store. “Take a photo or write a few lines. The details of the person will be kept confidential,” he said.
The election date is yet to be announced. It is expected that the polls will be conducted either in November or December.
