The guidelines for prevention of Covid-19 would be strictly followed in the crucial by-election
The voters in the upcoming Salt assembly by- election would have to compulsorily wear face masks and press the button on the electronic voting machine (EVM) to cast their franchise wearing sanitised gloves. In view of the situation of the pandemic of Covid-19 these measures would be taken for the first time in the state during the Salt by-election by the election commission. The voters would be checked by the thermal scanners and asked to sanitise their hands before entering the polling stations. The voting time too would remain extended by one hour to ensure that necessary norms of pandemic prevention are followed during the process of voting.
The Assistant chief electoral officer (CEO) of Uttarakhand, Mastu Das told The Pioneer that on the directive of the election commission the polling stations with more than 1000 electorate have been bifurcated. “There were 15 such stations where the number of voters was in excess of 1000. We now have 151 polling stations in Salt. The guidelines for Covid- 19 prevention would be followed during the entire process and appropriate steps would be taken,’’ he said.
The officer informed that necessary physical distancing norms would be followed inside the polling stations and the voters would be provided with a pair of disposable gloves after the application of indelible ink. “The voters would have to wear gloves before signing in the register. They would use the EVM wearing these gloves,’’ he said.
The by- election for the Salt assembly constituency would be held on April 17. The last date for the submission of nomination for the by-election is March 30 while the candidates can withdraw their names on or before April 3. The counting of the votes would be on May 2 and the results are expected on the day. The by- election is necessitated due to the death of the BJP MLA Surendra Singh Jeena last year. In the election a total of 95241 voters (48682 males, 46559 females) would exercise their franchise. Apart from them there are 912 service electors. In the assembly elections held in the year 2017, the voting percent was 45.74.
Thursday, 25 March 2021 | Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun
