Polling officials leave for their respective polling booths after collecting EVMs and other voting material ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, in Belagavi, on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI
Officers have made all preparations to hold polling across Belagavi district on May 10 and counting of votes on May 13.
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Senior officers like Deputy Commissioner and District Electoral Officer Nitesh Patil, Police Commissioner M.B. Boralingaiah, SP Sanjiv Patil, and Zilla Panchayat CEO Harshal Boyer visited the counting centre at Rani Parvati Devi College premises in Belagavi on Monday.
“We have made preparations for holding peaceful, free and fair polls in all the 18 Assembly constituencies,” Mr. Patil said.
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He said that public campaign ended on May 8 at 6 p.m. However, candidates were allowed to indulge in door to door campaigning. All non-voters are supposed to leave constituencies in which they are not registered. This applies to all star campaigners and other leaders who are visiting constituencies other than those in which they are registered. On the day of polling, parties will be allowed to put up a chair and table 200 m away from the polling booths. Polling officers will leave mustering centres for their booths on May 9. He appealed to the electorate to exercise their franchise without fear or favour.
Dr. Boralingaiah said that over 2,000 police personnel, including officers and constables of state and central police organisations will be on duty. They include 4803 civil police, 1354 home guards, KSRP, DAR and CRPF officers and personnel. Two senior police observers are supervising the preparations.
SP Sanjiv Patil said that over over 9,000 officers and personnel were on duty across the district. Senior police officers are coordinating with officers from Goa and Maharashtra. Joint check posts are being set up at the borders, he said.
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Mr. Boyer, head of the district SVEEP committee, said various steps are being taken to ensure universal polling.
There are 187 candidates in the 18 seats. They include 174 men and 13 women. Of the 360 who had submitted nominations, 25 had been rejected and 47 withdrew.
The district has 39,67,574 voters including 20,424 service voters. It has nearly 94,650 first time voters between 18-19 ages. It has 42,761 physically challenged voters, and 1,00,095 voters above 80 years of age, making Belagavi the district with the highest number of voters who exercised their franchise from home. Belagavi has 4439 polling booths, including five auxiliary booths. They include 300 critical booths, and 701 vulnerable booths. As many as 21,600 polling officers are on duty.
Model code of conduct officers have seized cash, valuables and alcohol worth ₹26.18 crore.
As many as 69 First Information Reports have been filed for violation of MCC guidelines.