Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer for the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency K. Vidyakumari on Tuesday said the nomination papers will be accepted from March 28 to April 4 for the Lok Sabha elections slated on April 26.
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Ms. Vidyakumari told reporters at Manipal that nomination papers would be accepted on all days, except March 29, Good Friday, and March 31, Sunday, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Papers would be scrutinised on April 5 while April 8 is the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers, she said.
Reiterating the set rules about filing of nomination papers, she said only five people could accompany the candidate while filing the nominations with the Returning Officer. Only three vehicles could enter the premises (within 100 m radius) of the RO.
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Ms. Vidyakumari said there were 15,13,231 voters during the 2019 general elections while at present there were 15,76,264 voters. The Election Commission would set up 1,842 polling stations; there were 1,837 polling stations in 2019.
Chairing the District Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation Committee meeting, Ms. Vidyakumari said every voter should exercise franchise on April 26. She urged officials concerned to focus on young voters and make them exercise their right without fail. Voters should be made aware of their rights to elect their representatives for a healthy democracy, she said. The SVEEP Committee should organise a variety of awareness programmes for voter education and their participation in the festival of democracy, Ms. Vidyakumari said.
Though the Election Commission has provided home voting facility for electors aged above 85, they should be encouraged to cast votes in polling booths to experience the fervour of the festival, she said.
Zilla Panchayat CEO and SVEEP Committee President Prateek Bayal, ZP chief project officer Srinivas Rao, Deputy Secretary Radhakrishna Adiga and others were present.