Ballot box for presidential poll reaches Nagaland’s capital Kohima

Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 13 (EMN): The ballot box and other material dispatched by the Election Commission of India for the upcoming 16th Presidential election scheduled on July 18, reached the state capital Kohima on Wednesday.

Assistant Returning Officer, Darhu Shupao, told journalists that the ballot box and papers along with other materials for the presidential election were secured in the strong room of the state assembly secretariat. 

“The strong room has been sealed and will be opened only on the polling day, July 18,” Shupao said.

The authorised officials of the state brought the ballot box and other materials by flight from New Delhi to Dimapur, before transporting it to Kohima by road on the same day.

The state officials deputed for collection of election materials included Shupao, Joint Secretary and Assistant Returning Officer, Nagaland Legislative Assembly Secretariat; R Mhathung, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland; KV Vitoho, Section Officer, Nagaland Legislative Assembly Secretariat; and Khiudia Newmai, Junior Section Officer, Nagaland Legislative Assembly Secretariat.

The ECI on Tuesday started to dispatch ballot boxes, ballot papers, special pens, and other sealed election materials to the state legislative assembly secretariats including the National Capital Territory of Delhi and UT of Puducherry for the conduct of the Presidential Election 2022.

The Commission directed that once the officers with ballot boxes reach the state capitals, it should be stored in previously sanitised and properly sealed strong rooms under strict videography monitoring.

After the poll is over, the polled and sealed ballot boxes and other election material have to be transported back to the office of the returning officer —  Rajya Sabha Secretariat — by the next available flight. The boxes and other documents are to be carried personally in the aircraft cabins – never out of sight of accompanying officers, ECI added.

The National Democratic Alliance presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu and the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha are in the fray for the country’s highest office, the result of which will be declared on July 21.

Earlier this month, the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in Nagaland had “unanimously” declared support for the BJP-led-NDA presidential candidate Murmu in the upcoming election during her campaign in Nagaland.