Separate queue for women voters, EVMs to be tracked through GPS

Chennai: The election commission has made elaborate  arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Lok Sabha polls on April 18. Apart from ensuring separate queues for women and disabled for hassle-free polling, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo has said the movement of EVMs will be tracked through GPS.

 “The GPS systems have been fitted to track the vehicles transporting the EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) and VVPAT (Voter-verified paper audit trail) for all the 38 Lok Sabha constituencies besides 18 Assembly seats facing simultaneousby-election. All the poll material will reach the respective polling stations by tomorrow evening,” Mr. Sahoo said. Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday he said for the benefit of disabled persons volunteers have been deployed at each polling station to assist them to enter the booth to cast vote. “Usually there will be two queues at each polling booth – one for men and another for women voters. We have made arrangements such that for every two women, one man will be allowed to exercise the franchise. In addition, priority would be accorded to physically handicapped and pregnant women who need not stand in queues but could directly enter to cast their votes,” the CEO explained on the arrangements for voting.

‘Silence period’ from 6 pm:
The ‘silence period’ has commenced from 6 pm this evening and political parties or candidates have been restrained from indulging in any campaigning once ‘silence period’ has begun. Section 126 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 prohibits election campaign activities through public meetings, processions, etc, and displaying of election matter by means of television and similar apparatus during 48-hours, between the deadline for the end of campaigning and the end of voting.

The prohibition is aimed at providing a period of silence for quiet deliberation ahead of voting day.

The CEO said this Thursday will witness a higher voter turnout due to Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation activities and awareness campaigns through celebrities. He said over 70,000 police personnel would be involved in poll related work while a similar number of police personnel would be handling law and order.

On the election officer being threatened for preventing the DMK and AIADMK from

campaigning at Vengamedu in Karur town on Tuesday, Mr. Sahoo said the Karurreturning officer (T. Anbalagan) had informed him about the incident and that the Election Commission would take appropriate action. The returning officer had issued the order to cancel the permission given to both the parties after their cadres clashed near the campaign venue on Tuesday afternoon.