The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Arrangements in place for smooth conduct of poll

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 09, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Arrangements in place for smooth conduct of poll

By Our Staff Reporter

This 80-year-old World War II veteran, K.V. Sivaraman, offered to be enlisted for the election bandobust when ex-servicemen turned up on the PRS Grounds in Coimbatore on Saturday to be enrolled for duty. — Photo: K. Ananthan

COIMBATORE, MAY 8. Arrangements are in full swing for the Parliamentary elections on Monday in all the 3,121 polling stations coming under the three Assembly segments of the Nilgiris Lok Sabha, six Assembly segments in Coimbatore and five Assembly segments of the Pollachi Reserved Lok Sabha constituencies, the District Election Officer, N. Muruganandam, told reporters today.

A total of 7,74,861 voters in Mettuppalayam, Thondamuthur and Avanashi Assembly segments coming under the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency, 15,83,886 voters in Coimbatore Parliamentary constituency and 10,39,029 voters in the Nilgiris Parliamentary constituency are expected to exercise their franchise.

The law enforcing agency and the poll machinery in a bid to ensure adherence to poll code of conduct, had registered 128 cases in Coimbatore Rural District and eight cases in Coimbatore District and the political parties had co-operated extremely well in the conduct of smooth elections, the Collector added.

The latest poll code violation came from Pollachi, when the police registered a case against the AIADMK functionaries including the MLA for taking out a cycle rally as part of the campaigning without prior permission. After a hectic campaigning since April 27 the campaign guns fell silent at the stroke of 5 p.m. this evening and the CPI candidate, K. Subbarayon and the BJP candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan wound up their electioneering at two different locations in Tirupur.

Making it clear that no body would be allowed to use their cellular phones inside the polling station, Mr. Muruganandam said that 373 polling stations in Coimbatore and 220 polling stations in Pollachi had been identified as sensitive. A total of 1,700 polling personnel are involved in the election process in Coimbatore city while it would 2,200 in Coimbatore Rural District. The three companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) allotted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) would be deployed in the sensitive pockets.

Bogus voting

The City Police said that if anybody tried to indulge in bogus voting and if the presiding officer who is convinced of the attempt preferred a complaint with the police, the person would be taken into custody and would be remanded immediately.

The 52 sensitive polling stations in 15 pockets of Coimbatore city like Kempatti Colony, Ukkadam, Masjid Colony, Al-Ameen Colony, Vincent Road, NH Road, Town Hall, Gandhi Park, Rathnapuri, Sanganur, Puliakulam, Sowripalayam areas are being brought under police vigil.

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