HYDERABAD: With 185 candidates filing nominations from the Nizamabad
Lok Sabha
constituency, the
Telangana state election commission has decided to put up stickers outside every polling booth - with details of candidates - for the benefit of voters. The stickers will help them identify the position of each candidate's symbol, before they step in to cast their vote, so that they can save time.
All the 1,788 polling stations in the constituency will have 12 ballot units each, to accommodate the symbols and names of every contestant.
Sharing details about the preparations underway at the over 14 lakhs voter-strong constituency, on Thursday, the state's chief election officer, Rajat Kumar, termed the large deployment of electronic voting machines (EVM) in Nizamabad as "a first in the history of Indian elections", since the advent of the EVMs by the Election Commission.
As per authorities, as many as 27,185 EVMs, 3,530 control units and 3,651 VVPATs have been deployed across polling stations in Nizamabad and Jagtyal.
The EVMs will be taken straight to the constituency for first level of checking- three to Nizamabad (with two to be added shortly) and five to Jagtyal, instead of the strong-room, said the officials.
"For polling day, the ballot units will be arranged in L- shape as it will be convenient for voters. The Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be placed near it. If we arrange it in U-shape, there are chances that the time taken per person to vote will increase," Rajat Kumar said.
Another major issue that has been addressed by authorities is pertaining to the seating arrangement of agents from political parties and camps of independent candidates.
While these agents usually sit inside the booths to verify the credentials of the person before he or she can cast his or her vote, accommodating them in Nizamabad would be a challenge owing to their sheer number. It has, therefore, been decided that a shamiana will be set up outside the polling stations where agents can sit and discharge their duties.