A supplementary list will be prepared by the Election Commission to enrol those who have applied for inclusion in voters’ list for the byelection to the five Assembly constituencies on October 21.
“The electoral roll is with the base date of January 1, 2019. District Collectors have been asked to scrutinise applications submitted 10 days prior to the withdrawal of nominations by the candidates to create the supplementary list,” Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena told mediapersons here on Tuesday. There will be increase in the number of voters with the addition of new voters.
The CEO said the District Collectors had been asked to look into the deletions in the voters’ list in the wake of complaints that had been raised, including by the BJP in the Vattiyurkavu Assembly constituency. “We are viewing the complaints seriously and the government officials should not play politics during the election process. Stern action will be taken against those who have erred,” he said.
The model code of conduct has come into effect in Kasaragod, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts and in Vattiyukavu Assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district from September 23. Mr. Meena, who held discussions with State Police Chief Loknath Behra on the security arrangements for the byelection, said that sub-inspectors to ADGP working in these districts had been asked to be transferred if they are natives.
The Returning Officers (RO) for five Assembly constituencies that are going for byelection are: N. Premachandran, Deputy Collector, LR, for Manjeshwaram; Shajahan, Deputy Collector, RR (Ernakulam); B.S. Praveendas, Joint Registrar, Cooperative Department (Aroor); N.B. Grace, Deputy Collector, LR, (Konni); T. Manoj, Assistant Commissioner, Disaster Management Authority, will be the RO for Vattiyurkavu.
In all, there will be 896 polling stations (Manjeshwaram 198, Ernakulam 135, Aroor 183, Konni 212 and Vattiyurkavu 168). The new ‘M3’ type EVM, that is “tamper-detect” and has self diagnosis, will be used for the byelection. The CEO said 1,810 ballot units had reached the State.
