Preparations for Lok Sabha polls in violence-hit Churachandpur begins

IMPHAL — Preparations for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls is in progress in violence-hit Churachandpur with the second round of training for polling personnel, second randomisation and commissioning of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)/Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for the four Assembly segments of the district and special polling stations having began on Friday.

The four assembly segments of Churachandpur district are Churachandpur, Henglep, Saikot and Singhat which fall under Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.

The second round of training for male polling personnel (party-wise) in respect Henglep, Saikot, and Singhat assembly segments was held at Churachandpur Government College on Friday; for female personnel, the training will be held on Saturday at the same venue.

On the other hand, the second randomisation and commissioning of EVMs and VVPAT machines was carried out at the Strong Room Building, Mini-Secretariat Complex, Tuibong, on Friday.

The training for the polling personnel was conducted under the auspices of S Thienlaljoy Gangte, Nodal Officer (Training Management), Lalthanzam Fimate, Nodal Officer (Manpower) and Soiminlian Lengen, Nodal Officer (Postal Ballot).

During the training sessions, master trainers of the district imparted comprehensive training to the personnel, which included setting up of polling stations, functioning of EVMs, role of the presiding officers, polling officers I & II; sector officers; the dos and don’ts, and many other rules and electoral procedures that need to be followed effectively on the election day.

Trainees were also briefed on the necessity to conduct mock poll to ensure proper functioning of the EVMs machines one hour before the election starts.

Training on handling EVMs, and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines sequence from the commencement to the conclusion of polling, including proper procedures for sealing polling materials during the voting process to minimise disruptions and ensure a fairness were the key topics covered in the training sessions.

It may be mentioned that there are 274 polling stations in the district, out of which 110 will be operated only by women polling personnel and 15 are being set up especially for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).