2.14 crore voters to decide fate of 1,304 candidates in Punjab, elaborate security arrangements in place

He said that of the total of 1,304 candidates, 231 are from national parties, 250 from state parties, 362 from unrecognised parties and 461 are Independent candidates. He said that as many as 315 contesting candidates have criminal antecedents.

Raju said 2,013 polling stations have been identified as critical, while 2,952 are vulnerable pockets.

There are six Assembly constituencies, including Kharar, Sahnewal, Ludhiana South, Payal, Patiala Rural and Patiala with two ballot units because of the large number of candidates, he added. Sahnewal and Patiala rural have the maximum number of candidates with 19 each while Dinanagar has the least number of candidates at five.

The CEO said that apart from three Special State Observers, ECI has appointed 65 General Observers, 50 Expenditure Observers and 29 Police Observers, who are keeping a close vigil. As many as 2,083 sector officers have been deployed to assist polling parties, he added.

“A total of 17 Assembly constituencies in the state have been identified as expenditure sensitive. There are 117 dispatch centres and 117 collection centres, while 117 EVM Strong Rooms have been established at 67 locations in the state,” he informed.

He also said that the Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF), including potable water, tent and chairs, and at least one wheel chair at every polling station will be assured at every polling station. Beside this, every polling station will have Covid-19 material, including gloves, sanitizer, soap and mask, while dustbins and colour bags will be placed for disposal of Covid waste material. He said that food and refreshments will be provided to all the polling staff.

Raju also urged electors coming at polling stations to adhere to Covid-19 protocols, including wearing masks and maintaining social distance.

The CEO said that 3,48,836 electors of the 18-19 years age group would exercise their right of franchise this time and all district administrations are taking adequate steps to motivate first time voters. He said that welcome kits have been issued to the first time voters, while voter information guides have been distributed to sensitise people about their voting rights.

Raju said that as many as 9,966 GPS-enabled vehicles are being used for election-related duties and added, over 5,000 buses are being used to send polling parties to polling stations.

On law and order, Raju said the police parties deployed across the state have been conducting thorough searches to check the flow of liquor, narcotics and money to ensure free and fair elections.

The CEO said that all the DCs, CPs and SSPs have been keeping strict vigil to check the incidents of distribution of liquor, narcotics and money for inducing the voters and raids would be conducted immediately on receiving information or complaints.

He said that since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force, various enforcement teams have seized valuables worth Rs 500.7 crore till February 18, 2022. He said that the Punjab excise surveillance teams have seized 58.18 lakh litre of liquor worth Rs 35.43 crore. Similarly, the enforcement wings have also recovered psychotropic substances amounting to Rs 368.60 crore besides confiscating unaccounted cash of Rs 32.52 crore, he added.

Raju said that as many as 3,467 FIRs have been registered in the state from January 9, 2022 to February 18, 2022. He said of the total, 93 are related to IPC, 22 under RP Act, 203 of Property Defacement, 40 Covid-19 related, 902 related to NDPS, 2,109 of Excise, 80 regarding arms and 18 are others.

He said that as many as 17 notices have been issued for causing noise pollution since the MCC came into force.

The CEO informed that they have received a total of 16,637 complaints on the cVigil app till February 19, 2022 since the MCC came into the force, of which, 12,194 complaints have been resolved in less than 100 minutes. “Our teams have handled these complaints in an average handling time of 45 minutes 60 seconds and an accuracy rate of 94 per cent,” he added.

Apart from this, the CEO said that 619 complaints were received from ECI, of which 565 have been disposed of, while 54 are under process. Similarly, 507 complaints have been received on the National Grievances Redressal Portal (NGRS) of which 467 were disposed of, while 40 are under process, he added.

He said that 2,805 complaints were received through the call centre of which 2,616 have been resolved while one was defaulted and 189 are under process. Similarly, 2,259 complaints have been received through other sources of which 2,238 were resolved, while 21 are under process.

Raju also informed that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding the last 48 hours came into force from 6 pm, February 18. He also informed that in view of the polls, the state of Punjab has been declared a dry day on dates from 6pm on February 18 till the conclusion of the polls on February 20 and there will be a complete ban on the sale of liquor during this period.

He also informed that liquor vendors falling in the radius of 3 km in the neighbouring states, including J&K, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Union Territory Chandigarh have also been asked to shut shops during this period.

He said that there will be a ban on unlawful assemblies and prohibition on holding of public meetings during the silence period, applicable for the areas/constituencies bound for polls.

Meanwhile, as per the instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Punjab government has announced a holiday on February 20, 2022 in view of the Assembly election in Punjab to facilitate the voters to exercise their franchise to vote. As per the provisions of Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the employees of industrial establishments, commercial establishments, shops and establishments will have a paid holiday on the date of polling in Punjab on February 20.

The CEO dispelled the rumours that a vaccination certificate was necessary to cast a vote. “These are rumours circulating on social media. This is not true. All you need is your name in the voters list and a proof of identity to cast a vote. In case someone has fever and it is suspected that he or she may be suffering from Covid, they will be asked to wait till everyone else has cast their votes and then they would be assisted to cast their votes by wearing PPE kits,” he said.