3.52 lakh to cast votes in East Godavari

Kakinada: The East Godavari district administration has made all arrangements for the municipal elections scheduled on Wednesday. Police officials have identified sensitive and highly sensitive areas where additional forces will be deployed for smooth conduct of the polling.

District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy said that there are 3,52,136 voters in 7 municipalities and 3 Nagar Panchayats where elections are being held in the district.

He said that the polling will be conducted at 379 polling stations in the district. There are 154 sensitive and 132 hypersensitive polling stations.

He said that they had deputed 115 micro observers for sensitive and hypersensitive areas and made arrangements for observing the polling activity. He said that all necessary facilities have been made at every polling station for the voters, especially the disabled and the elderly.

He said that elections were unanimous for 35 wards out of 268 wards under 10 urban local bodies, while polling for the remaining 233 wards in the district will be held. A total of 680 candidates are in the fray in this election.

He directed the officials to conduct the elections peacefully. He said that the elections will be conducted amidst Covid-19 restrictions in view of safety of the public. He said that special officers will monitor and supervise the election process in the municipalities and nagar panchayats in the district.

He informed that the polling will start by 7 am and will end by 5 pm and after which the sealed ballot boxes will be sent to the counting centres with tight security.

District superintendent of police Adnan Nayeem Asmi said that 1,100 police personnel, mobile parties headed by circle inspectors, DSPs striking force and special striking force would be deployed in municipal and nagar panchayat elections in the district.

He said that they identified 60 sensitive villages and 52 hypersensitive villages in the district. He said that special force deployments have been made in these areas.