Thiruvananthapuram, April 7 Kerala CEO Rathan U Kelkar on Tuesday said that all preparations have been made for the April 9 Assembly polls, in which 883 candidates will seek the mandate of 2.71 crore voters in the state.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kelkar, at a press conference here, said that 30,495 polling stations have been set up in the state for the voting process.
These include 24 auxiliary polling stations, which were needed after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral list was carried out, he said.
The new booths will be set up in the Kasaragod, Kannur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts of the state, he said.
Of these polling booths, 352 will be operated by women, and 37 by disabled persons, Kelkar said.
He also said that there are 140 distribution and collection centers, and ballots will be counted at 140 strongrooms and 43 locations.
"As part of managing the poll process, we have deployed 1.46 lakh trained polling officials. To maintain law and order and ensure a peaceful voting, 76,000 police and central forces personnel have been deployed," he said.
Besides these, around 2,000 people, suspected to be troublemakers, have been placed under preventive detention, 11,000 non-bailable warrants have been executed, and 3,400 posts allegedly violating poll rules have been removed from social media, he said.
Special arrangements have also been made at polling stations to create a festive atmosphere for voters, he said.
Additionally, the Election Commission has launched 30 new initiatives, including the facility to deposit mobile phones at the polling station, in connection with the polls, Kelkar said.
He further said that 98 per cent of home voting, 95 per cent of voting by emergency services personnel, and 50 per cent of voting by polling personnel have been completed.
Kelkar said that the silent period will come into effect from Tuesday 6 pm, and the exit poll prohibition will operate from 9 am on April 9 to 6.30 pm on April 29.
Campaign through any media or public is restricted during the silent period, and this applies to press conferences, conferences, and interviews, he said.
He said that the dos and don'ts of the silent period have been distributed among the political parties and candidates.
He also said that the period from Tuesday 6 pm to Thursday 6 pm has been declared as a dry day.
In view of the hot weather conditions and the advisory issued by the State Disaster Management Authority, fans and water supply will be arranged at polling stations.
During the press briefing, Kelkar also said that webcasting and videography will be carried out at polling stations.
"Everyone should come forward to vote," he added.