Karnataka - Belgaum   

Inflation pushes up cost of polls

Belgaum: Believe it or not, the cost of conducting elections in the State will be at least 25 per cent more than what the Government spent for the last elections held in 2004, thanks to inflation and skyrocketing prices of fuel, essential commodities and other services.

District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner M.E. Shivalingmurthy told presspersons here on Monday the number of deployment of personnel and security forces was also more in these elections.

However, he said, the Government had so far provided Rs. 50 lakh but the cost would be much more. There was no dearth of money but the amount spent on the conduct of elections would be known after the completion of the counting of votes, he said.

Mr. Shivalingmurthy said the electors need not worry about exercising their franchise if they did not get photo identity cards before the polling day. He said the voters could bring any of the 20 documents listed for the purpose.

The Deputy Commissioner warned the principals of all the colleges against issuing identity cards to students who had not secured admission in their institutions.

Addressing a meeting of principals of various colleges earlier in the day, he said the district administration had become more cautious after reports of use of fake identity cards issued by educational institutions in Bangalore.

Mr. Shivlingmurthy said at least three companies consisting of 124 personnel of Central Reserve Police Force would be deployed in each of the 18 Assembly constituencies in the district to ensure that there was no untoward incident during polling.

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