High-tech methods used during campaigning this time in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Curtains came down on the high-pitch campaigning for 29 Assembly and four Lok Sabha (LS) seats in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts on Monday evening. Over 90 lakh voters (39,64,478 in Hyderabad and 53,48,927 in Ranga Reddy district) will seal the fate of 582 candidates on April 30.
In the last two weeks of campaigning, candidates made various attempts to woo voters.Some candidates could not cover all areas as they lost precious time in convincing the rebel candidates to withdraw from the fray.
Interestingly in these general elections, the candidates mostly depended on social media (Facebook) and hi-tech methods like mobiles, apps and 3-D technology to reach out to the voters. Some candidates, though they extensively used information technology, they gave preference to conventional methods like holding door-to-door campaign and padayatras.
Contestants roped in star campaigners too. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and his son Lokesh, YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy and his sister YS Sharmila, actors Pawan Kalyan, Jayaprada and AAP leader Medha Patkar and other campaigned in the city for the victory of their party candidates.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad district election officer Somesh Kumar said efforts were being made to increase the polling percentage to 75%. To avoid last-minute rush, the commissioner said ‘Know your polling station’ campaign was conducted twice for the benefit of voters.
He said web casting would be arranged at all 3,386 polling stations. E-help desk would be set up at 1,480 polling stations. He said police and returning officers had identified 530 critical polling stations for which micro observers were appointed to monitor polling.
The DEO said 22,348 polling staff, including presiding officers and other polling staff, were drafted for polling work. In addition to them, 255 sectoral officers and 1,482 additional sectoral officers, who are in-charge of polling stations, were appointed.
In a related development, Ranga Reddy district collector B Sridhar told reporters on Monday that arrangements were being made in 5,042 polling stations. At 1717 polling stations, students and volunteers would be deployed for web casting.
Sridhar said 20,000 postal ballots were issued to polling personnel and special ballot paper would be used for the visually-challenged.
He said services of 33,277 polling personnel would be utilized for polling. Transportation facilities for polling staff have been arranged from MGBS, Jubilee Bus Station, Nampally, Mehdipatnam, Langer Houz and Dilsukhnagar to go to places like Tandur, Pargi, Vikarabad and Chevella.