A total of 148 gram panchayats in five taluks of Mysuru district will go to the polls in the first phase on Tuesday.
Polling will be held in Hunsur, K.R. Nagar, Periyapatna, H.D. Kote, and Sargur taluks from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The elections are apolitical and the candidates are barred from using their party symbols.
Surprisingly, six GP seats did not receive nominations and therefore no elections will take place in those seats, apart from the ones where members have been elected unopposed. In total, elections to 2,180 seats will take place, with 6,165 candidates in the fray. Members to 123 seats have been elected unanimously.
For the 148 GPs in five taluks alone, 7,22,019 voters — 3,64,012 men, 3,57,986 women, and 21 others — are eligible to vote. Hunsur has the highest number of polling booths — 293 — while Sargur has the lowest — 98. In total, 974 booths exist in the five taluks, besides 174 auxiliary booths.
As many as 5,052 polling staff have been appointed for conducting the elections, and polling staff from Mysuru taluk have been deputed to the taluks facing manpower shortage.
Bus arrangements — 176 buses, 12 mini-buses, and seven smaller vehicles — have been made in Mysuru for ferrying the polling staff, including the presiding officers and the polling officers, to the taluks. Mustering and de-mustering arrangements will be made at the taluk headquarters on Monday.
The polling staff have been instructed to apply the indelible ink on the voter’s left thumb. The voter ID or any proof of identity can be used for casting vote.
Precautions
Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri said public gatherings were prohibited outside the booths and people would not be allowed move around in groups, even as poll personnel have to ensure strict social distancing and compliance with the COVID-19 guidelines. The polling staff, police, and voters have to compulsorily wear face masks. The polling staff have been told to also wear gloves.
Thermal screening of voters is mandatory before their entry into the booth. If voters are found to be showing any COVID-19 symptoms, they will be examined further by the health authorities. There is no scope for voters to choose NOTA (none of the above) option in these elections.
The State Election Commission has allotted the last hour of the election — 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. — for COVID-19 patients to vote. “All the necessary steps have been taken for free and fair elections,” Ms. Sindhuri said.
