Even as the campaign for gram panchayat elections is gaining momentum across Mandya district with the contestants intensifying their electioneering by the day, the police have decided to keep a vigil on lodges and resorts to check illegal activities.
Elections for the 3,826 posts of 230 gram panchayats will be held on May 29. In all, 8,328 contestants are in the fray, including 3,875 women.
Chances of political parties or activists using lodges and resorts for electioneering were high. It had prompted the Police Department to keep a tab on the activities in lodges, resorts, recreation clubs, marriage halls and farm houses. “We have instructed the police officials to check lodges and other places to see if any political party or activist violates the model code of conduct for gram panchayat elections,” Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu.
300 places
A majority of the lodges, resorts, recreation clubs and marriage halls were in the jurisdiction of the Srirangapatna subdivision police. All such places were under scrutiny, N. Siddeshwar, Deputy Superintendent of Police of the subdivision said.
“We have visited most of the lodges/resorts and instructed the managements to bring to the notice of the Police Department any activities involving distribution of gifts or money to voters,” he said.
R. Shivakumar, Malavalli Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the police had intensified night rounds and random checks at unpredictable points to ensure that freebies did not reach the voters.
Security plan
Meanwhile, the district police have drawn up a comprehensive security plan for the gram panchayat elections. They have decided to deploy one Superintendent of Police, one Additional Superintendent of Police, four Deputy Superintendents of Police, 12 inspectors, 83 sub-inspectors, 282 head constables, 1,139 police constables and 832 Home Guards for security.
Seven battalions of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and 14 platoons of the District Armed Reserve (DAR) would be deployed for the purpose.
The district administration would be setting up 1,694 polling booths for the gram panchayat elections in the district. Of them, 389 have been identified as sensitive and 325 as hypersensitive.
The Police Department has requested the general public to share any information leading to poll code violation through 08232-224888.
Night rounds and random checks at unpredictable points intensified: Superintendent of Police
District administration is setting up 1,694 polling booths for the May 29 GP elections
