Over the last six years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of electors in the four Legislative Council constituencies going to polls on Friday.
State Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha told presspersons here that there were 98,037 voters in the Karnataka Southeast Graduates constituency against 61,626 in the last election. Similarly, the Karnataka West Graduates constituency has 94,356 voters against 71,394 in the last election, the Karnataka Northeast Teachers constituency has 31,809 voters against 15,824 in the previous election and the Bangalore Teachers constituency has 36,957 voters against 19,603 in the last election.
Accordingly, he said, the number of polling booths had been increased in all the four constituencies. He said that voters had to produce EPIC or any of the 13 ID cards, which were listed as valid during the recent Lok Sabha elections, at the time of exercising their franchise. Symbols have not been allotted to the candidates. Ballot papers would be in pink. The indelible ink would be put on the voter’s left forefinger.
Every voter will be videographed along with the identity document before being permitted to cast the vote. Each polling station would have one presiding officer and three polling officers. The voters, Mr. Jha said, have to necessarily cast their first preferential vote. None of the above (NOTA) option would be provided on the last panel of the ballot papers.
Special casual leaveThe voters would be given one-day special casual leave on Friday and there would be no holiday for the establishment as such.
Campaign for the Council elections came to an end on Wednesday evening.
Counting of votes would be done on June 24 in Dharwad, Bangalore and Gulbarga.
