GUWAHATI, April 9 - The Kamrup Metro Election District and the City Police today said that all arrangements have been put in place for a free, fair and smooth voting on April 11 when the four Legislative Assembly Constituencies located in the district are slated to go for the polls along with other areas of Lower Assam.
Speaking to reporters here today, Kamrup Metro District Election Officer Dr M Angamuthu and Guwahati Commissioner of Police Mukesh Agarwala said that distribution of polling materials to various officials manning the 1,102 polling stations in the city will start at 7 am tomorrow morning and all polling personnel will be at their respective centres by afternoon.
Voting will start at 7 am and conclude at 5 pm on April 11. There are four LACs in Kamrup Metro � Jalukbari, Dispur, Guwahati East and Guwahati West.
�The civil and police administration officials took part in a final meeting this morning to take stock of the arrangements for a smooth polling process. We have made special arrangements for voters with special needs, senior citizens and pregnant and nursing women. Special measures have been taken to raise awareness among the youths and first-time voters to increase their participation in the democratic process,� Dr Angamuthu said.
He called upon the voters in the city to come out and exercise their franchise on April 11. �We appeal to everybody to cast their vote. The polling percentage in Guwahati has been generally less than in other places during recent elections. That should change,� Dr Angamuthu said.
A total of 6,435 polling personnel will be engaged in duty in the city. The Election Commission will use a total of 1,219 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), including a few to be kept in reserve.
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be used in 1,060 polling stations where the number of voters is less than 1,350.
There will be eight model polling stations and eight all-women polling stations in the four constituencies of the city. A total of 13 polling stations have been identified as �critical�.
Micro observers will be deployed at 60 polling stations and videographers at 14 other polling stations, while 40 polling stations will have webcasting facility in the city.
The district election authority has pressed into service 607 vehicles.
Commissioner of Police Agarwala said that �the best security arrangement has been put in place.� He said that half a section of Central forces will be deployed at each poll building. Each poll building may house one or more polling stations.
Besides, the city has been divided into clusters and zones and both police and Central forces will be deployed across the city.
Agarwala said that a three-tier security system will be put in place at the strongroom in Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium at the Sarusajai sports complex where EVMs from all the four LACs of the city will be kept till the date of counting on May 19. Metal detectors, CCTVs and other equipment will be at place and access to the strongroom will be allowed to authorised personnel only.
The Police Commissioner said that 936 licensed weapons have been �closed� in the city and two illegal firearms have also been seized since announcement of the polls. Non-bailable warrants have been executed against 565 individuals.
