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Election arrangements on in full swing: EC
New Delhi, Mar 16: The Election Commission today said arrangements for the coming Lok Sabha and four state Assemblies ``are going on in full swing.`` The electronic voting machines (EVMS), which will be used in all the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies, are on the way to most of the states, while polling and presiding officers are being drafted, Deputy Election Commissioner A N Jha told reporters.
New Delhi, Mar 16: The Election Commission today said
arrangements for the coming Lok Sabha and four state Assemblies
''are going on in full swing.''
The electronic voting machines (EVMS), which will be used in all the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies, are on the way to most of the states, while polling and presiding officers are being drafted, Deputy Election Commissioner A N Jha told reporters.
More than one million EVMS will be used in the coming parliamentary elections, the first ballot-less polls in the history of the largest democratic exercise.
Polling will be held in five phases -April 20, 22 (Tripura alone) and 26 and May 5 and 10. The first of the election notifications will be issued on March 24.
The three-member commission will visit West Bengal tomorrow to review the election arrangements in that state. Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishna Murthy and the other two commissioners will hold separate meetings with political parties and district collectors and superintendents of police. These would be followed by a meeting with the chief secretary and other senior officials and a press conference.
The commission will visit Bihar and Jharkhand some time next week and subsequently go to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar pradesh.
The commission has convened a meeting here on March 19 with 1,500 general poll observers, 1,300 whom will be on ''active duty'' in specific constituencies.
The observers will be the ''eyes and ears'' of the commission during the elections and will be the commission's direct contact in the field, Jha said.
The observers have powers to intervene at the time of polling and counting to check irregularities.
''Repolls are essentially ordered on the basis of the reports of the observers read with that of the returning officers,'' the Deputy Election Commissioner said.
On march 18, a meeting will be held with 750 expenditure observers.
On the same day, leaders of political parties in Delhi have been invited to have a meeting with the commission here. The district commissioners, both revenue and police, the chief secretary and the police commissioners would also have a meeting with the commission that day.
The electronic voting machines (EVMS), which will be used in all the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies, are on the way to most of the states, while polling and presiding officers are being drafted, Deputy Election Commissioner A N Jha told reporters.
More than one million EVMS will be used in the coming parliamentary elections, the first ballot-less polls in the history of the largest democratic exercise.
Polling will be held in five phases -April 20, 22 (Tripura alone) and 26 and May 5 and 10. The first of the election notifications will be issued on March 24.
The three-member commission will visit West Bengal tomorrow to review the election arrangements in that state. Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishna Murthy and the other two commissioners will hold separate meetings with political parties and district collectors and superintendents of police. These would be followed by a meeting with the chief secretary and other senior officials and a press conference.
The commission will visit Bihar and Jharkhand some time next week and subsequently go to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar pradesh.
The commission has convened a meeting here on March 19 with 1,500 general poll observers, 1,300 whom will be on ''active duty'' in specific constituencies.
The observers will be the ''eyes and ears'' of the commission during the elections and will be the commission's direct contact in the field, Jha said.
The observers have powers to intervene at the time of polling and counting to check irregularities.
''Repolls are essentially ordered on the basis of the reports of the observers read with that of the returning officers,'' the Deputy Election Commissioner said.
On march 18, a meeting will be held with 750 expenditure observers.
On the same day, leaders of political parties in Delhi have been invited to have a meeting with the commission here. The district commissioners, both revenue and police, the chief secretary and the police commissioners would also have a meeting with the commission that day.
Bureau Report