Puducherry, April 8 Around 9.50 lakh voters will decide the electoral fate of 294 candidates in the Assembly elections in Puducherry on April 9, and all arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of the polls, CEO P Jawahar said here on Wednesday.
Polling will begin at 7 am in Puducherry and its enclaves of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, which together have 30 Assembly seats.
The union territory has 1,099 polling stations, and of these, 209 have been identified as vulnerable, Jawahar told the media here.
Thirty polling stations will be managed exclusively by women staff, and 15 booths will be operated by young officers. Two polling stations will be operated by persons with disabilities, he added.
The union territory has as many as 24,919 new voters, he said.
The Chief Electoral Officer said that senior citizens and differently-abled voters will be assisted by volunteers at the booths to reach the polling stations to cast their votes and also for their safe return to their homes. Wheelchairs will be available, and election authorities have engaged 2,200 young voters to take care of them.
Jawahar said that the use of drones for monitoring purposes has been helpful in tracking individuals involved in activities that undermine fair elections. He said that cash and liquor were seized after drone surveillance was conducted. A total of Rs 77.25 lakh was seized at various points, and liquor worth Rs 68.50 lakh was also seized.
Seventeen cases have been booked for alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct in the past few weeks. As many as 24 people have been booked for allegedly distributing cash to lure voters, he said.
Meanwhile, in an official release, Jawahar said that of the total 294 candidates contesting the Assembly polls in the union territory, 40 are women candidates.
He said that Oulgaret, Mudaliarpet, Nellithope and Nettapakkam (reserved) constituencies have 14 candidates each, which is the maximum number of contestants in the April 9 polls.
The CEO said that a nine-member delegation from six countries—Kyrgyz Republic, Ivory Coast, Moldova, Mongolia, Guyana and Bhutan—will familiarise themselves with the polling process at two polling stations on Thursday. They will visit the booths located in the VOC Government Boys Higher Secondary school in Mission Street in the town, and also at the Government Middle school in Kizhoor village in the Oussudu Assembly constituency. Oussudu (reserved) has five contestants.
District Election Officer A Kulothungan said that elaborate security arrangements have been made at all the polling stations, including the installation of surveillance cameras and webcasting facilities.
Besides major political parties, newly floated parties are also in the fray.
The NDA, comprising AINRC, BJP, AIADMK and LJK, faces a challenge from the INDIA bloc comprising the Congress, DMK and the VCK.
While the NDA is fighting to retain its 'double engine' governance, the opposition bloc is making a push to regain power in the union territory, focusing on issues of local autonomy and administrative friction.
Actor Vijay's newly formed TVK has emerged as a significant third force, fielding candidates across the union territory.
In addition to the two major alliances, candidates of the CPI, CPI(M), Naam Tamizhar Katchi and a few other outfits are also contesting.
Among the political bigwigs in the fray is AINRC leader and Chief Minister N Rangasamy, who is contesting from Thattanchavady and Mangalam segments.