District Collector S. Raveednran said here on Friday that 830 polling booths, including the three auxiliary stations at Kizhvaipur, Thuruthicaud and Thiruvalla, would be set up in the five Assembly segments of Aranmula, Thiruvalla, Konni, Ranni and Adoor in Pathanamthitta constituency for elections to the State Assembly on April 13. No polling booth in the district has been identified as sensitive.
The polling booth to be set up for 54 voters at the Anganvady at Avanippara in Konni Assembly segment has the lowest voter strength in the district while the auxiliary booth at the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School at Thuruthicaud for 1,633 voters will have the highrst voter strength.
Mr. Raveendran said after final revision of the voters' list, the district has 9,53,562 voters spread across the five Assembly segments. There are 5,06,722 women voters and 4,41,617 men. He said the district has 4,926 service voters and 296 overseas voters.
The voter strength of various Assembly segments in the district is: Thiruvalla: 1,93,152; Ranni: 1,75,731; Aranmula: 2,07,332; Konni: 1,82,466; and Adoor: 1,92,721.
Mr. Raveendran said 1,027 electronic voting machines would be installed to ensure smooth conduct of the polling process.
Poll code of conduct
The Collector called upon all political parties, officials and the people to abide by the guidelines prescribed by the Election Commission.
The code of conduct maintains that places of worship should not be used as forum for election propaganda. Political parties and candidates should avoid all activities that are “corrupt practices” and offences under the election law, such as bribing of voters, intimidation of voters, impersonation of voters, canvassing within 100 metres of polling stations, holding public meetings during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the close of the poll and transport and conveyance of voters to and from polling station.
Mr. Raveendran said as per the code of conduct, political parties and candidates should refrain themselves from any activity that might aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities.
He said political parties and candidates should refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties.
The Collector said candidates or their party should inform the local police authorities of the venue and time of any proposed meetings well in advance so as to enable the police to make necessary traffic arrangements and ensure peace and order. They should also ascertain in advance if there were any restrictive or prohibitory orders in force where the meeting was planned. Political parties as well as Independent candidates should obtain permission well in advance for the use of loudspeakers or any other facility in connection with a proposed meeting as part of the election campaign.
He said political parties or candidates should not permit their supporters to make use of private property like land, building, compound wall, etc., for erecting flag-staffs, suspending banners, pasting notices, writing slogans. Etc., without the owner's permission.
N. Radhakrishna Pillai, District Information Officer, P.K. Manoharan, Deputy Collector (Elections) and M.K. Kaladharan, Additional District Magistrate, were also present.
