Curtains were pulled down on campaigning for the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) elections here on Friday, but many candidates are anxious, as the authorities have served over 400 notices for violating the Model Code of Conduct.
Candidates were issued notices for excess distribution of pamphlets, setting up party offices, defacement of walls, putting up flexi-banners and using vehicles with loud speakers.
A detailed report will be submitted to the State Election Commission shortly, said Municipal Commissioner C. Hari Kiran at a press conference here on Friday.
“Candidates are permitted to spend nearly Rs.1.50 lakh each on campaigning, and if the winner happens to cross his or her limit, the candidate with the second highest number of votes will be declared the winner,” said Mr. Hari Kiran.
He said elaborate arrangements were made for the smooth conduct of elections on March 30. Over 3,650 polling staff from Gudivada, Machilipatnam and other divisions were deployed, besides maintaining sizeable number as reserved staff.
Of the 580 polling stations, 400 have been identified as sensitive and hyper sensitive stations.
As a precautionary measure, live web casting would be done from 10 such polling stations in addition to video-graphy at other stations, he explained.
Web casting will be monitored from the control room, and several Electronic Voting Machines are kept in reserve to make immediate alternate arrangements in case of technical snags.
oters can cast their votes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and counting will be held at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium on April 2.
Over 140 people serving in the Armed Forces have requested for postal ballots in addition to the 150 employees from police and other departments deployed on election duty in other places. They will have to post their votes or put them in the postal ballot placed at the Corporation Office before 5 p.m. on April 1, he added.
