Vizianagaram District All Set for Peaceful Assembly Elections
Polling commenced without any hindrances in all 1,847 polling booths spread across the seven assembly constituencies of Vizianagaram district. The constituencies include Vizianagaram, Gajapathinagaram, Bobbili, Rajam, Cheepurupalli, Nellimarla, and S.Kota. The smooth commencement of polling is attributed to the mock polling exercise conducted at 5:30 am, which familiarized the staff with the election procedures. A total of 15, 62,921 eligible voters are expected to exercise their franchise by 6 pm, with provisions made to accommodate those still in line at the closing time.
The district administration has deployed 13,661 polling officials of various ranks to supervise the elections. These officials will be supported by engineers from Bharat Electrical Limited (BEL) to address any technical glitches with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The district administration is optimistic that the voting percentage will surpass 80%, thanks to the extensive awareness campaigns conducted under the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation Programme of the Election Commission of India.
To further boost voter turnout, the officials have set up tents, provided water and toilets, arranged medical facilities, and installed ramps and wheelchairs for differently-abled individuals at the polling booths. Additionally, 11 model polling stations have been established in the district, with the one at Vizianagaram Music College featuring eye-catching portraits of musical instruments.
Security arrangements are being closely monitored by Visakhapatnam Range Deputy Inspector General Vishal Gunni and Vizianagaram Superintendent of Police M.Deepika. They have instructed the police force to remain vigilant at 362 identified sensitive villages and other vulnerable locations. A network of 2,272 web cameras is being utilized to gather video footage from these areas, and micro observers have been appointed to provide hourly updates on the situation to higher officials.
Following the conclusion of polling, the EVMs will be securely stored at Lendi Engineering College and JNTU-GV University until the counting day on June 4.
