COVID-safe voting course of prime precedence: Odisha Chief Electoral Officer Sushil Kumar Lohani

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: COVID-safe election goes to be a everlasting characteristic of the electoral system, mentioned Chief Electoral Officer Sushil Kumar Lohani on Wednesday. As the pandemic doesn’t appears to be going away any time quickly, the COVID protocols put in place by the Election Commission of India (ECI) are more likely to proceed so long as the scenario doesn’t normalise, he mentioned. 

In an interview with The New Indian Express forward of Pipili byelection on Thursday, Lohani mentioned, “As it is difficult to say how Covid is going to behave, some precautions will continue to be in place in the foreseeable future to ensure that the stakeholders involved in the election process are safe and do not contract the virus.”

On Pipili bypolls, the CEO mentioned that they’ve ensured that every one the polling personnel and manpower deputed by candidates together with polling and counting brokers are absolutely vaccinated.  All voters must endure thermal scanning earlier than coming into the polling cubicles.

Those having excessive temperature or COVID signs shall be issued tokens to solid vote within the final one hour of the polling interval. During this era, polling personnel must use PPE kits.

Lohani mentioned the Election Commission has been profitable in convincing individuals previously throughout Tirtol and Balasore by-elections and he’s hopeful that this time additionally, individuals is not going to worry COVID and are available massive numbers to vote.

The Election Commission has made particular preparations for the differently-abled individuals who want to return to the cubicles to solid vote. Pick and drop and wheel-chair facility shall be obtainable for them at sales space stage.  

There are 3,009 PwDs within the constituency. He mentioned that up to now 924 postal ballots have been collected from eligible voters from their place of residence. All polling stations have been sanitised and voting will start at 7 am and proceed until 6 pm. Around 200 odd cubicles are recognized as delicate the place additional precautions and provision of net casting, video recording and micro observers have been made. 

On the opposite hand, the CEO denied any hyperlinks between Tuesday’s Balanga police station blast and the Pipili bypolls. The incident is being inquired by senior officers, he added. Lohani mentioned that the safety has been tightened within the poll-bound constituency due to the previous historical past of ballot violence.

Security tightened

BHUBANESWAR: Tight safety association has been put in place for Pipili bypoll. About 25 platoons of police power together with three corporations of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed to make sure clean elections.

A complete of 348 polling cubicles have been divided into 4 zones  with every supervised by three Additional SPs who’re assisted by 4 deputy SPs.This aside, 10 check-posts have been set-up and over 850 officers and personnel, 32 cellular events and 6 flying squads/static surveillance groups deployed to take care of regulation and order in the course of the election on Thursday.

PIPILI BYPOLL

Candidates in Race

ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE

Central forces, micro observers, cameras in 201 delicate cubicles

1,490 polling personnel on responsibility

696 further polling workers to make sure COVID-19 tips

There are 2.29 lakh voters within the constituency