The elections department has sought 25 companies of paramilitary forces to be deployed for the forthcoming Assembly elections on May 16.
Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, District Election Officer and Collector P. Jawahar said that as many as 2,500 personnel drawn from the central paramilitary forces would arrive in Puducherry on May 1.
The elections department has sent letters to over 23,000 first time voters requesting them not to waste their franchise and to create awareness on ethical voting as part of the initiative undertaken under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP).
The total electorate in Puducherry district is 9.32 lakh. This includes a net addition of 4,661 voters in the final electoral rolls.
Apart from general observers and expenditure observers, three special observers will reach Puducherry on Thursday.
Mr. Jawahar said the selfie corner initiative of the elections department to promote 100 per cent voter turnout had evoked a good response from the public.
Over 500 people have taken selfies with the banner placed at vantage points in the city.
The department is now planning to start more selfie corners with caricature of Subramaniya Bharathiyar and Sri Aurobindo to promote 100 per cent voting.
Complaints
The elections department has received around 536 complaints of violation of the model code of conduct. Apart from this about 20 complaints have been received on Whatsapp.
The department has also decided to use a paraglider to reach out to voters and ensure high participation in the elections.
Replying to a question, he said the authorities had issued notices to over 350 unauthorised/ unregistered channels in Puducherry to shut operations immediately.
A decision would be taken at a meeting on Wednesday.
