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Filing of nominations begins in Pondy and Karaikal today

Special Correspondent

Two regions with 27 seats go to poll on May 8

Pondicherry: The statutory notifications setting the polling process in motion in Pondicherry (having 21 constituencies) and Karaikal (having six constituencies) will be issued on Thursday (April 13).

Chief Electoral Officer of Pondicherry S. Kumaraswamy told reporters here on Wednesday that the last date to file nominations for these constituencies (going to the poll in the second phase on May 8) would be April 20. While scrutiny of nominations is on April 21, the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is on April 24.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said that although it was estimated that the Union Territory of Pondicherry would have 6.49 lakh voters in all, it was found that subsequent to the publication of the electoral rolls, as many as 14,000 applications were received seeking inclusion of names of the voters in the rolls. He said that while 9,500 applications were accepted the remaining applications were under examination. However he said that the strength of the voters would increase to 6.60 lakh in the Union Territory.

Polling booths increased

Mr Kumaraswamy said that the number of polling booths have also been raised from 575 to 710, as most of them were having more than 1,400 voter each.

He reiterated that voters would be let to exercise franchise on the basis of the Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) although relaxation was available where there were mismatches between the Photo Electoral rolls and the EPICs.

He said that 120 polling booths were identified to be sensitive or hyper sensitive in the 18 Assembly constituencies.

Eight companies of para military forces from the Central sector were being requisitioned and these forces would arrive at Pondicherry to take charge tosupplement the local police during the last week of this month.

As many as 5,000 officials would be deployed for poll duty. The District Election Officer Mr G Theva Needhi Dhas said that all details relating to the polling arrangements, press handouts and also statutory measures taken were brought out in the form of Compaq Disc which he released at the press conference.

Additional Senior Superintendent of Police (ASSP) B. Srikanth said that a total of 18 elections related cases were booked and they included five cases under Representation of People Act and seven cases under Indian Penal Code.

A total of 295 habitual offenders were identified in various constituencies and cases were booked against 290 persons. Warrants were also executed.

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