The Hindu : New Delhi News : Punjab all set for panchayat polls

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Sunday, May 11, 2008
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Punjab all set for panchayat polls

Special Correspondent

Over 1.5 crore voters to exercise their franchise

Over 17,700 polling booths set up
29 elections observers posted

CHANDIGARH: About 1.51 crore voters in Punjab’s countryside would exercise their franchise this Monday in the general elections for the Panchayati Raj institutions that include 20 Zila Parishads and 141 Panchayat Samitis.

According to a spokesperson of the State Election Commission, 17,714 polling booths have been set up and 88,700 staff deployed to ensure smooth, free and fair voting.

Twenty-nine elections observers have been posted across the State. Adequate security arrangements have been made while the State Government has already declared Monday as a holiday in its offices to enable its employees to cast their votes.

The Commission has directed all the District Electoral Officers to ensure video recordings of critical events during the process of polling for a true, faithful and concurrent record of the proceedings.

Video recording

The Commission has also directed that video recording be carried out at sensitive polling stations on a random basis. The District Electoral Officers have been authorised to decide on the number of video teams required for the purpose.

Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has ordered postponement of elections in two separate zones of two Zila Parishads and four Panchayat Samitis till May 26.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had struck down the cancellation of some candidates in these segments. The Commission said that as per the election schedule, specific dates had to be fixed for withdrawal and allotment of symbols.

Further, a period of campaigning would also be required by the candidates.

Through another decision following separate complaints, the Commission has changed an Assistant Returning Officer in Kahnuwan block of Gurdaspur district and issued directions to transfer the SHO of the Payal police station in Ludhiana district.

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