Kerala set for polls; 883 candidates in fray

T'PURAM: Chief electoral officer Rathan U Kelkar on Tuesday said that preparations for the assembly elections were completed, as he released key data on voters and polling arrangements ahead of voting on Thursday. A total of 2,71,42,952 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the state, with 883 candidates in the fray. As part of the arrangements, 30,495 polling booths have been set up, including 24 auxiliary booths, which have been arranged in stations with more than 1,200 voters. Kelkar said 2,040 booths have been identified as vulnerable. Among the polling stations, 352 will be managed entirely by women, while 37 booths will be operated by disabled persons. Special arrangements have been made at booths with a higher voter turnout. He said that 98% of voters who opted for home voting facility have already cast their votes, while 95% of postal voting has been completed. Voting among those in essential services is currently under way, with 40% of polling personnel having already exercised their franchise. Authorities have seized materials worth Rs 46.71 crore in connection with election-related violations, he added. The CEO also said Thursday, the polling day, will be a paid holiday. Exit polls have been prohibited from being published until 6.30pm on April 29, while opinion polls have been banned from 6pm until the end of polling. Addressing concerns over postal ballots not being received, Kelkar clarified that the ballots are with the returning officers and arrangements have been made for voters to cast their votes at designated distribution centres on Wednesday. A special control room has also been set up to address related issues, he said.