The personnel of the Central Industiral Security Force (CISF) deployed in the Kannur Assembly constituency for assisting the local police to ensure free and fair by-election on November 7 will conduct raids and root marches before the election.
An official meeting here on Monday of District Collector P.B. Saleem, Superintendent of Police Anoop Kuruvila John and CISF Commandant J.P. Pande finalised an action plan for law and order enforcement in the constituency as part of the election. The raids and root marches beginning on Monday would continue till November 5 and the personnel would be deployed for law and order maintenance near polling booths on November 6 and 7, an official press release here informed.
Three companies of the CISF had arrived here on Sunday as per the direction of the Election Commisson. The CISF companies mobilised from the Chennai Airport, Cochin Port and Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd. would be posted in areas under the Kannur City, Kannur Town and Valapattanam police circles.
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As per the action plan, the raids would be conducted from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and root marches from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The personnel would be deployed for checking in constituency boundaries and important roads from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Local police teams would also accompany the CISF personnel.
Meanwhile, election arrangements were underway at a hectic pace in the constituency. Officials announced here that auxiliary booths would be set up in polling booths having more than 1,400 voters each. A total 10 auxiliary booths would be opened in the constituency. With these, the number of polling booths in the constituency would rise to 129.
Arrangements were also underway to issue duplicate electoral photo identity cards (EPICs) to voters who had lost them. The official press release said that EPICs had been issued to all voters in the constituency.
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EPICs would be compulsory for casting votes on the polling day, the Collector said, adding that those who had lost the cards would be issued duplicate cards from the Taluk Office here on November 3 and 4 on producing relevant documents, an affidavit and a Treasury chalan for Rs. 25.
Election officials here said that cases would be registered against candidates and political parties if they did not remove unauthorised campaign materials within 24 hours. Expenses for removing the unauthorised campaign materials would be levied from parties or candidates concerned and added to the election expenditure of the same. They also warned that the display of campaign materials on public properties was a violation of the election code of conduct.