All measures taken to make polls free, peaceful and safe: SEC

 

ES Reporter

ITANAGAR, Dec 21: State Election Commissioner (SEC) Hage Kojeen while informing that at least 4,89,000 citizens are going to cast their votes in the PR elections across the state and the Municipal elections in Itanagar and Pasighat, today assured the state’s electorate that all measures have been taken to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.
While appealing the people to exercise their adult franchise, the SEC informed that there will be 1,472 polling stations across the state and special measures have been taken in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adequate numbers of Medical Officers have been appointed as Nodal Officers to monitor the COVID SOPs in all areas, he divulged, adding that special pandemic-related guidelines have been issued with directives to the respective District Administrations, District Election Officers, Returning Officers, Polling Officers and other officials to maintain the guidelines strictly during polling time. Isolation rooms have been arranged in various polling stations for the Officers on duty and there will be a special provision for COVID positive patients to make sure they are not deprived of their voting rights, the SEC disclosed. 
“They can use their voting rights under strict vigilance of the medical team only after 3 pm when there is no rush,” he said, informing along with that special provisions for voters with disabilities and elderlies above 80 years will also be there.
Throwing light on additional security arrangements, the SEC   informed that directives have already been issued to seal the state’s boundaries to avoid any kind of bogus voting. “We have constituted flying squad teams and Sector Magistrates will keep a strict vigil on all poll-related activities with special emphasis on Model Code of Conduct (MCC),” Kojeen stated.
More than 8,000 security personnel, including nine companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), besides 7,517 state police personnel have been deployed for the elections, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Chukhu Apa said, adding that many as 258 polling stations have been identified as hyper-sensitive and 536 as sensitive. Control rooms set up at the SEC office and other locations will give hourly updates on election procedures.
Ballot papers for panchayat constituencies have been collected by respective district officials, while EVMs have been commissioned for elections to Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Pasighat Municipality. The elections have been delayed by over two years due to various reasons and the state has 25 Zilla Parishads with 241 constituencies and 2,215 gram panchayats with 8,436 constituencies. The IMC has 20 wards while the Pasighat Municipality has 8.
The ruling BJP has already won 96 of the 241 Zilla Parishad Member constituencies unopposed, while election to the Vijoynagar seat in Changlang district will not be held due to the prevailing law and order situation there. Vijoynagar recently witnessed violent protests over the voting rights of former Assam Rifles personnel. The saffron party has also won 5,410 of the total 8,436 gram panchayat constituencies and five seats in the IMC. Elections will not be held in the entire Dibang Valley district as all the segments in both Zilla Parishad and gram panchayat have been won by the ruling party unopposed. East Siang is the only district where elections will be held in all the polling stations. As many as 110 gram panchayat segments in the state have fallen vacant due to various reasons and the SEC will take a final call on conducting by-elections in those segments after the current electoral process is over.
The state administration has declared a holiday on Tuesday. All government and semi-government offices, banks and commercial establishments, besides educational institutions and markets will remain closed. With PTI inputs

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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