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DIMAPUR — To facilitate voting for essential workers, the casting of postal ballots began on April 8th at the deputy commissioner’s office in Dimapur. The process was overseen by Litsenthung Kikon, EAC, and the nodal officer for postal ballots.
According to a DIPR report, Kikon informed that 15 of the 18 eligible essential voters voted on the first day of voting.
The postal ballot voting is scheduled to continue until April 10 and will take place from 9 am to 5 pm each day at the DC’s office in Dimapur.
Postal ballots for absentee voters from April 9
In an effort to facilitate convenient exercise of voting rights for senior citizens aged 65 years and above, as well as persons with disabilities (PwDs), the EAC has announced that postal ballots for absentee voters will commence on April 9th. The process will continue until April 10, starting at 9 am.
Kikon revealed that a total of 179 absentee voters in Dimapur will be catered to during this initiative.
He also stated that nine teams have been formed to efficiently reach out to these voters, covering Dimapur I, II, and III simultaneously. These teams will be deployed to go door-to-door, ensuring that every eligible absentee voter can vote via the postal ballot without any inconvenience.
Commissioning and preparation of EVMs, VVPATs
Meanwhile, commissioning and preparation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) machines for the upcoming 18th Lok Sabha election took place at the deputy commissioner office in Dimapur on April 8.
According to a DIPR report, the strong room was opened in the presence of representatives from all political parties and representatives from contesting candidates, assistant returning officers (AROs), the returning officer, the nodal officer for EVMs and VVPATs, the assistant election officer, SDO (civil) and nodal officer for transport, and the deputy commissioner and district election officer.
The commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs will continue until April 9, starting at 9 am at the deputy commissioner's office in Dimapur.
Webcasting training conducted
To enhance their efficiency in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, a webcasting training programme was organised for operators in Dimapur on April 8 at Dimapur Government College.
Led by master trainers Imnatoshi and Imnajongshi, the training session focused on providing hands-on experience to the operators and a total of 87 polling stations in Dimapur were covered during the training.
Out of the 87 polling stations in Dimapur, webcasting training was successfully conducted for 77 stations through video and online platforms. Additionally, offline training was provided for the remaining nine polling stations.
Further, the report stated that on April 9, a mock drill is set to be carried out for 20% of the polling stations in Dimapur. This exercise aims to simulate real-life scenarios and test the preparedness of polling station personnel, ensuring smooth operations on the day of the election.
A second round is scheduled for April 12, covering 50% of the polling stations in Dimapur.