A total of 322 polling stations across Mumbai have been declared as “critical” by the city and suburban collector. Of these, 98 are in the city and 224 in the suburban areas. Additionally, police have identified 16 “extra-sensitive” polling stations in the city and 35 in the suburbs. A unique feature in these elections is that all the 63 locations in the city will have a “micro-observer”, a Central government officer to supervise smooth functioning on voting day. This micro-observer will report directly to the Central government. There will also be video cameras installed at every location. According to the collector, 15 of the 63 locations will have web-casting facilities, where live videos of the polling process will be uploaded online on YouTube. “These videos will be accessible to the public and the URL will be available on our official website,” said Shaila A, city collector. In the suburbs, eight DCPs, 23 ACPs, 306 police inspectors and 18,859 constables and Home Guards have been deployed. The collectors also put to rest rumours regarding the registration of new voters. “There cannot be any instant registration on the day of voting. The voter’s name has to be listed in the voters’ list for casting a vote. The voter also has to carry a proof of identity to be able to vote,” Shaila said. For the election, about 14,499 officials in the city and 42,627 officials in the suburbs have been employed as polling staff and two ballot units will be placed at every booth. For the 3,131 polling booths, 6,262 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been arranged. In the suburbs, for the 7,313 polling booths, 14,600 ballot units have been prepared. A 10 per cent reserve for emergencies’ replacement has also been arranged, the collector said. mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com
