The State Election Commission has initiated steps to webcast the polling process in sensitive booths identified by the police. The commission on Friday issued an order to webcast the proceedings at 1,022 of the 1,315 sensitive booths that have the required infrastructure.
District election officials have been asked to ensure that the proceedings are videographed in the remaining booths classified as sensitive. The commission will foot the bill to videograph the polling in other sensitive booths identified by election officials and police officers.
Political parties and other organisations will have to bear the expense of videography in booths where they request monitoring of the poll process.
The commission has directed district election officials to secure the unedited footage from the videographers and keep them in safe storage.
Law and order
The commission ordered that special care be taken while deploying the police during the elections. Possession of lethal weapons during the election process and till one week after the declaration of results should be completely banned. If anyone is found in possession of such weapons, he or she should be dealt with in a stringent manner and the weapons, confiscated.
Checking of vehicles should done to ensure that anti-social elements or those carrying weapons do not enter a constituency three days prior to the polls, during the day of polling, and till the completion of counting. Such criminals should be apprehended and the weapons and the vehicles confiscated, a press note said.
Polling duty
Polling officers who have been deputed for polling duty should report at the various election material distribution centres before 10 a.m. on November 1 in the districts where elections to the local bodies are to be held (except at Varkala, Attingal, Nedumangad, and Neyyattinkara municipalities and Thiruvananthapuram Corporation) and before 10 a.m. on November 4 where the polls are being held on November 5.
A press note issued here said polling officers should take charge of the election material and proceed in designated vehicles to the respective polling stations. In the orders given to polling officers, it was stated that they should report at the distribution centres at 8 a.m.
