After the high-octane campaigns of the past weeks, the stage is set for the elections to the Kerala Legislative Assembly and the byelection to the Malappuram Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday. Extensive arrangements are in place for the smooth conduct of the polls.
Polling will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. in all constituencies except nine – Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta, Eranad, Nilambur, Wandoor, Kongad, Mannarkad and Malampuzha – where it will start at 7 p.m. and end at 6 p.m.
In all, 2,74,46,039 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise as per the final electorate published by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Of this, 1,32,83,724 are men, 1,41,62,025 are women while 290 belong to the third gender. Overseas voters number 87,318.
In all, 957 candidates are seeking the mandate this time in Kerala.
COVID-19 norms
The elections are being conducted in strict compliance with the COVID-19 and green protocols. COVID-19 patients and quarantined electors will be permitted to vote in the final hour of the polling. Kerala has 40,771 polling stations in all, including 15,730 auxiliary stations necessitated by the ECI decision to keep voter numbers per booth to 1,000 given the COVID-19 situation.
In view of the recent controversy over multiple entries in the electoral rolls, the ECI has laid down strict guidelines for preventing bogus voting. The ECI had issued standard operating procedures in this regard and furnished presiding officers with polling station-wise lists of Absent, Shifted, Dead/Duplicate voters.
Voters with visual impairment will be provided dummy ballot sheets in Braille at the polling booths. This is meant to help them cast their vote by themselves.
