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Zone and sector magistrates being briefed by elections authorities, on April 9 in Kohima.[/caption]
Dimapur, April 10 (EMN): The election establishment of Nagaland has appealed to the state’s electorate to vote peacefully and ethically as they go to the Lok Sabha elections, and an assembly poll, on April 11.
Chief Election Officer (CEO) Abhijit Sinha has requested voters in Nagaland “to come out and vote on the day of poll,” an update from the CEO’s establishment stated on Wednesday. Likewise, he appealed to the voters to “vote fearlessly without being influenced by the consideration of race, caste, religion, language, community or any inducement.”
The establishment of the Nagaland CEO, besides the government’s publicity agency the Information and Public Relations (IPR), gave updates.
Abhijit Sinha informed that 2227 polling parties have reached their assigned polling stations by 7 pm on Wednesday. Out of 2227 polling parties in the state, 325 polling parties had left yesterday.
Webcasting will be done in 270-odd polling stations on the day of polling, Sinha said. Their operators have carried out a dummy run of the webcasting process, the IPR stated. He added that in about 180-odd polling stations offline-filming will be done.
Further, besides security personnel at polling stations, strike reserves also have been kept at many locations “so that in case law and order issues crop up they can move swiftly to those locations and sort things out.”
About 250 sector officers, sector magistrates and sector commanders will be moving around along with security forces. They will be visiting polling stations and ensure that everything is fine, the officer said. The sector officers will be carrying the reserve machines too; there will be control rooms at the CEO’s office and district election offices. Poll percentages will be conveyed two-hourly, the IPR stated.
In some districts, movement of polling parties were hampered because of bad roads but those roads were cleared by the district authorities using machineries; the polling parties could move and reach their polling stations.
Further, Sinha said arrangements are in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful polls. A mock poll will start at 6 am. The actual poll will start at 7 am but for 26-Aonglenden assembly constituency in Mokokchung district, the mock poll will start at 5:30 am on account of mock poll to be done for two machines, the updates stated.
Enforcement activities: Sinha informed that the amount of cash that the authorities have seized thus far was INR 92,26,640. About 65,400 litres of liquor have been seized too.
Zone, sector magistrates meet
A meeting of zone magistrates and sector magistrates, besides master trainers was conducted in the Kohima deputy commissioner’s conference hall on April 9, in Kohima.
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The district election of officer of Kohima, Anoop Khinchi said that the zone magistrates will be the overall in-charge. However, the sector magistrates do have an important role in ensuring successful conduct of the elections, he said.
The officer urged them to check their respective polling station where proper voting compartments have been set up and to ensure that secrecy of the vote should not be compromised. The administrator asked them to take care of any other requirement that may be still pending.
Further, Khinchi asked the sector officers to ensure that all the polling materials and important forms had been collected by their polling teams before they move out for their respective polling stations.
The most important task for the sector officers on the day of election will be the mock poll. Sector officers must ensure that the mock poll starts in time viz. by 6:00 am. After the mock poll, the actual polling process must be cleared, he said.
The election administration has asked the officials to keep in touch with their respective polling station within the first two hours of the polling day. They can do so by visiting their polling stations and to report that the actual polling has started.
Khinchi told them about Form 17C which he said should be deposited and that they ask their presiding officers not to close the polling station before 4:00 pm.
Other officers also briefed the gathering about the importance of the mock poll during which ‘certain things’ have to be taken care of, according to the IPR. They are to report to their authorities immediately if there is failure of electronic voting machines or the voter’s verifiable paper audit trail on the polling day, the updates added.
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A total of 226 polling parties have been dispatched for the conduct of 2019 Lok Sabha election for Kohima district. They were dispatched from the deputy commissioner’s office on April 10, the IPR informed.
A total 1,42,842 voters will be casting their votes in different polling stations in the district. Out of 226 polling stations, 26 will be administered by all-women polling personnel. The rest of the polling stations will be manned by males, the IPR stated.
The district magistrate for Mon Thavaseelan K, has issued prohibitive orders, issued on April 9, in view of the elections to the Lok Sabha for 2019 in Nagaland on April 11.
'It is deemed necessary to make a conducive environment for free and fair polling, under section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, in the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the close of the poll, the campaign will come to end,’ the IPR stated.
The action is to “ensure that no unscrupulous elements are able to engage in nefarious activities like distribution of cash, gifts, liquor etc to unduly induce and influence the electors for extracting political mileage.”
The enforcement of section 144 of CrPC in Mon district comes into immediate effect from April 9 at 6:00 am to 6:00 pm of April 12.
“Assembling and movement of more than five persons within Mon district is restricted. However, it does not restrict house-to-house visits during 48 hours in connection with door-to-door campaigning, and movement by govt. officials on election duty, those coming to vote during poll day, and those on emergencies services,” the updates stated.
The IPR issued updates concerning the so-named “randomization” of voting devices. The IPR informed on Wednesday that Returning Officers M Patton and Limanenla (no surname given) “randomized the second supplementary randomization” of electronic voting machines and voter’s verifiable paper audit trail “for reserved/unused” (sic), on April 9.
The “second randomization programme” was conducted in the presence of general observers. In the words of the IPR, the “randomized EVMs/VVPATs” were for nine districts of Peren, Pughoboto, Phek, Mokokchung, Wokha, Mon, Longleng, Tuensang and Kiphire.
Official sources are said to have reported that the first supplementary “randomization” was conducted at respective district election officer levels in the districts.
The assistant returning officer for Tuensang, Mohammad Ali Shihab has informed all in concern that the day for polling and the day for counting of votes have been declared “dry day” for the entire district from April 11 to the 23rd of May.
This is in accordance with the directives of the Election Commission under section 135 C of the Representation of the People Act of 1951, and to ensure smooth and peaceful, free and fair polling in the parliamentary elections.
The district election division of Peren district has dispatched about 24 female presiding officers. They moved out from the old office of the deputy commissioner, on April 10, the IPR reports.
The P-2 polling parties were sent off ahead of the day of elections, which is April 11, for the Nagaland parliamentary constituency.
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The Mon district election establishment has dispatched polling officers to far flung and interior villages, categorized as P-2 polling stations. The rest of the polling personnel left on April 10 for their respective polling station, the IPR informed.
Mon district has 1,39,179 eligible voters of which 73162 are male and 66017 are females. They will be exercising their franchise in electing Nagaland’s lone representative to the Lok Sabha.
Out of 237 polling stations, 16 has been categorised 'vulnerable,’ 31 ‘critical’ and 190 ‘normal.’ Altogether 35 polling stations will be administrated by female polling officials, the IPR stated.
