All arrangements are in place for the local body polls in the district on Tuesday.
Polling officials collected election materials and reached 2,271 polling booths set up in 72 grama panchayats and six municipalities. Voting will begin at 7 a.m. and go on till 6 p.m.
A total of 17,82,587 voters, including 9,43,588 females, 8,38,988 males and 11 transgender persons are eligible to exercise their franchise in the district.
A total of 11,355 officials have been deployed for the election duty. Polling officials have been asked to use face shield, mask, sanitiser and gloves. Polling agents should also use face shield, mask, sanitiser and gloves. Voters should clean their hands with sanitiser while entering and exiting the booths.
COVID patients
Those who tested positive for COVID-19 after 3 p.m. on December 7 can cast their vote by visiting the respective polling booths in PPE kits between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. The COVID-19 positive voters will be allowed to exercise their franchise at the end of voting after others standing in the queue cast their votes. They should bring the certificate provided by a designated medical officer in Form 19 C.
Officials said that steps had been taken to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner. Of the total polling stations, 349 have been identified as sensitive and 67 as critical.
In order to ensure transparency and monitor any untoward incidents, measures have been taken to webcast all proceedings from 40 sensitive/critical stations on the election day. In the rest of the sensitive/critical stations, proceedings will be videographed.
Security strengthened
Security has been strengthened in the district in view of the polls. District Police Chief P.S. Sabu said that 4,034 police personnel would be deployed to ensure the peaceful conduct of elections.
As many as 5,462 candidates are in the fray in the district.
These include 82 candidates for district panchayats, 789 for six municipalities, 508 for 12 block panchayats and 4,083 for 72 grama panchayats.
