CEO sets the ball rolling for assembly elections

NT NETWORK

Panaji

The office of the chief electoral officer has started preparing for the state assembly elections due in March next year.

A highly placed source told ‘The Navhind Times’ that  first round of briefing has already been  held for  superintendents of police,  both the district collectors and deputy superintendents of police on the model code of conduct and law and order
situation.

The source informed that necessary instructions have been issued by the CEO office to the concerned officers to assess various requirements and make arrangements for election paraphernalia, vehicles that will be needed for polling staff and officers on election duty, electronic voting machines, video surveillance teams etc.

The  term of the current state assembly will  come to an end in mid-March, 2022.

Top polling officers also held a virtual meeting with deputy collectors and mamlatdars on the revision of photo
electoral roll.

The exercise for preparation of summary revision of photo electoral roll is expected to be undertaken in September-October, and the final electoral roll is likely to be out in January next year.

The state steering committee also held its meeting to discuss issues pertaining to electoral participation of persons with disabilities.

The sources said that as per the directives of the Election Commission of India, senior citizens above 80 years of age and persons with disabilities will be able to exercise their franchise using postal ballots in the assembly polls.

“Senior citizens of more than 80 years of age and voters with disabilities marked in the electoral roll will now have a choice of voting from their homes. Nevertheless, such voters have both the choices available: either vote  through postal ballot by following due procedure, or go to the polling station on polling day to exercise their electoral rights,” the sources said.

The CEO office will come out with detailed guidelines particularly for these two categories, the sources said, adding that for now the focus is to get all eligible voters with disabilities marked on the electoral roll with the help of NGOs, officials of the social welfare department, booth-level officers and other concerned
officers.

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