Nodal Officer inspects training for poll staff

Ongole: Prakasam District Urban Elections Nodal Officer M Venkateswara Rao inspected the second phase election training programme in Ongole on Sunday.

The training was held for Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers at PVR Boys High School and DRRM High School in Ongole Municipal Corporation limits. The nodal officer briefed the staff on their duties and the rules to follow on polling day. He asked them to conduct the election peacefully and fairly. He told the officers to stay alert so that no mistakes happen during polling. He asked them to check voter identity papers and voter list details carefully. He also explained how to handle challenged votes. These are cases where someone objects to a voter’s identity. He then spoke about tendered votes. These occur when a voter finds that someone else has already voted in their name.

Venkateswara Rao said that officers must mark voters with ink after they vote. They must also know how to use the ballot unit and keep all polling records properly. If any doubtful situation arises at the polling station, they should act as per the rules and seek guidance from senior officers. The nodal officer asked the staff to study the training points well. He said fairness and neutrality are crucial to the election process. Voters must not face any trouble, he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Naresh Nandam

Naresh.Nandam[email protected]

Naresh Babu Nandam works as a Special Correspondent at The Hans India and primarily covers the erstwhile Prakasam district. He has a master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a bachelor's degree in Law. He has around twenty years of experience in print and broadcast journalism. He is a certified Google News Initiative trainer for fact-checking and online verification. Outside his journalism work, he is an OSINT practitioner and takes part in CTF challenges. He is the author of a spiritual thriller titled 'The Amber Scroll', available on Amazon.in.

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