Polls for Arunachal, Sikkim with LS elections

New Delhi, March 10 (IANS): Elections for Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Assemblies will be held along with the Lok Sabha polls, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora announced, here on Sunday. Polling will take place in one phase in all these states, except Odisha, where it will be held over four phases. While Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh will go to vote on April 11, the polling dates for Odisha have been announced as April 11, 18, 23 and 29. This is the second time since its bifurcation (to carve out Telangana) in 2014 that Andhra Pradesh will see Assembly polls. The last time too, the Assembly elections were held with the Lok Sabha polls. The state will vote to elect 175 legislators to the 176-member Assembly. One member is nominated. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu is the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, since its bifurcation. Naidu has also served as the Chief Minister of the undivided state between 1994 and 2004, becoming the longest-serving CM in the state. Arunachal Pradesh will go to polls for 60 seats. It is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Pema Khandu. He became the Chief Minister in 2016 after the resignation of Nabam Tuki of the Congress and imposition of the President’s rule. Polling for Odisha’s 147 seats will be held in four phases. Counting of votes will be held on May 23, along with the Lok Sabha votes. The Odisha Assembly’s term ends on June 11. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik who has ruled the state since 2000 will be contesting for the fifth term this year. Sikkim will see polling for 32-seat Assembly, whose term ends on May 27. The state is ruled by Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF)’s Pawan Chamling who will be contending for sixth term. Over 7 lakh electors in Mizoram to vote on April 11 Over seven lakh electors would be eligible to vote on April 11 for election to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashish Kundra said on Sunday. Of the 7,84,405 eligible voters, 51 per cent are women, Kundra said. Addressing media persons in Aizawl after the Election Commission of India announced the dates for the seven-phase poll exercise across the country, Kundra said polling would be held in 1,175 polling stations, of which at least ten per cent would be manned by all women polling officials and security personnel. Noting that the state election department was fully prepared to conduct the elections, the CEO said that expenditure for the coming polls would be at least 15 per cent less compared to the state assembly polls held on November 28 last. Deployment of central armed police force would also be “immensely reduced” during the elections, he said. “Though we are yet to receive specific instructions, arrangements would be made for Bru voters in six Tripura relief camps by setting up temporary polling stations at the Mizoram-Tripura border Kanhmun village, as was done in the last state assembly polls,” he said.

EVMs to carry candidate picture to avoid confusion over similar names

The Election Commission on Sunday said the EVMs and postal ballot papers would carry photograph of all candidates to help voters identify the political leaders in the fray. Announcing the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, beginning April 11 and ending May 19, the Election Commission said the provision for printing the candidate photographs will help avoid any confusion which may arise when candidates with similar names contest from the same constituency. The photograph will be printed on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) ballot units as well as on postal ballot papers, the EC said. For this purpose, the candidates are required to submit to the returning officer, their recent stamp size photograph as per the specifications laid down by the Commission. The EC also said India had gone to polls with photo electoral rolls for the first time in 2009. In that year, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland did not have photo electoral rolls, while elector photo identity cards were not distributed to electors in Assam and Nagaland. Now, all states and union territories have photo electoral rolls and photographs of 99.72 per cent electors are already printed in the electoral rolls. Besides, 99.36 per cent electors have been given EPIC. The percentage of electors with EPIC and photographs in electoral rolls is likely to increase further before the elections with several states and UTs having already reported 100 per cent coverage, the EC said. The Commission also said that official voter slip bearing the photo of the elector (wherever present in the roll) will be distributed at least five days before the polling date.