Karnataka - Belgaum   

Official warns against malpractice in Council poll

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELGAUM, JUNE 15. B.S. Palaksha, Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer for the North-West Graduates' and North-West Teachers' constituencies having jurisdiction over Belgaum, Bijapur, and Bagalkot districts, has said that action will be taken if specific complaints of electoral malpractices are received.

He told presspersons here on Tuesday that though only a few provisions of the model code of conduct of the Election Commission were applicable for the election to the Legislative Council, action would be taken according to the law if specific complaints of malpractice, including impersonation or bribing a voter, were received.

On the method of voting, he said that though there would be separate ballot papers for the graduates and teachers' constituencies, there would be a common ballot box at the polling stations. While the pink ballot paper would be used for the teachers' constituency, the white ballot paper would be used for the graduates' constituency.

He reiterated that the voters would have to mark their votes only in figures in order of their preference.

The first preference vote was compulsory. If the first preference vote was not marked, then the ballot paper would be treated as invalid, he added. The voters had been asked to make sure that they marked only one figure opposite to the name of a candidate.

The voters should not write any name or words or put their signature or initials on the ballot paper as it would make their vote invalid, he said.

He said there were 52,129 voters in the graduates' constituency with 28,397 voters in Belgaum district, 13,128 in Bagalkot, and 10,604 in Bijapur.

The electoral college of the teachers' constituency comprised 7,944 voters in Belgaum, 4,660 in Bijapur, and 3,392 in Bagalkot districts, he said. In all, 172 polling stations would be set up, he added.

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