Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 11
The Election Commission of India today announced dates for the conduct of Assembly Elections in Nagaland along with the other two State of Meghalaya and Tripura. As per the schedule announced today by the ECI, Nagaland as well as Meghalaya will have elections on February 23, 2013 while Tripura will go to polls on February 14, 2013. The votes will be counted on February 28 in the three states, which have 60 constituencies each.
The term of the Meghalaya Assembly ends on March 10, Tripura’s on March 16 and Nagaland’s on March 18. Nominations have to be filed by January 28 in Tripura and by February 6 in Nagaland and Meghalaya. A press note was issued by the ECI Secretary Sumit Mukherjee giving details of the election schedules and other related matters.
On electoral rolls it was informed that this has been revised in Nagaland with reference to January 1, 2013 as the qualifying date and published on January 10, 2013 with total number of electors put at 11,81,731. Also the number of polling stations identified in Nagaland is 2023.
The ECI also informed that Photo electoral rolls will be used during the forthcoming elections. While in Meghalaya and Tripura the Photo percentages in Photo electoral rolls are 100%, in Nagaland it is 95.94%.
The ECI has also stated that identification of the voters at the polling booth at the time of poll shall be mandatory. Electors who have been provided with EPIC shall be identified through EPIC only. Presently, the EPIC coverage in the poll going States is Meghalaya: 100%, Nagaland: No EPIC issued and Tripura: 100%.
In order to ensure that no voter is deprived of his/her franchise, if his/her name figures in the Electoral Rolls, separate instructions will be issued to allow additional documents for identification of voters, if needed.
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)
The poll in all the 3 (Three) States will be conducted at all polling stations using EVMs. The Commission has already made arrangements to ensure availability of adequate number of EVMs for smooth conduct of elections, the press note informed.
Law and Order and Deployment of Forces
Based on the assessment of the ground situation, Central Police Forces (CPF) and State Armed Police (SAP) drawn from other States will also be deployed during the ensuing elections, the ECI announced. The CPF and SAP will be used generally for safeguarding the polling stations, the electors, poll-material and the polling personnel. Besides, these forces will be used for securing the strong rooms where the EVMs are stored pending counting and for securing the counting centers and for other purposes, as required.
Stating that the Commission has been issuing instructions from time to time with regard to the advance preventive measures to be taken by the District Magistrates and Police authorities to maintain Law & Order and to create atmosphere conducive for conduct of free and fair elections, the ECI stated that it will be constantly monitoring the ground situation closely and will take appropriate measures to ensure peaceful, free and fair polls in these States.
