The stage is set for the conduct of byelection to Nandyal Assembly constituency in Kurnool district even as Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwarlal asserted that elaborate arrangements, including a close watch on social media has been made to ensure that the bypoll is conducted in a free and fair manner.
Campaigning for the bypoll came to a close at 6 p.m. on Monday and the restrictions imposed by the election authority on the movement of men and material that could influence voters have come into force from this evening. The election officials had been asked to ensure that leaders of political parties and activists from other districts leave Kurnool by this evening and the local leaders have been directed to stay home for the next 48 hours.
Mr. Bhanwarlal said in addition to the None Of The Above (NOTA) option to voters, the bypoll would also have voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) and live webcast of polling from all the 255 polling stations that had been set up. “Except for the voter compartment, the inside of the polling station as well as the movement of the people outside the polling station can be seen live through the webcast,” he said.
ID proof mandatory
“Voters will however be allowed to cast their vote provided they display one of the mandatory identity proofs at the respective polling station,” he said.
He said the election officials had so far seized 1.16 crore cash meant for distribution to voters and investigation had been launched to ascertain the parties behind this seizure.
In all, 368 cases had been registered and several of these related to distribution of liquor cash and other irregularities.
Replying to a query on reports that film actor and TDP MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna distributed cash to voters, he said the Collector had been asked to check the authenticity of the proof and submit a report at the earliest.
To a query on YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s comments on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, he said the matter had been sent for the Election Commission for a final decision.
He asserted that the election authority always welcomed complaints and it had therefore set up an SMS facility through which voters could bring any irregularities to the notice of the ECI. They could register their complaints through SMS to 9663166166 and the commission would ensure confidentiality, he said.
