Gurugram gears up for MC elections, polling today in five municipal areas

The district is all set for the civic body elections, with staff leaving for their respective polling booths after being issued EVM machines and other poll-related material by the district administration here on Saturday.

Polling will be held on Sunday in five municipal areas of the district—Municipal Corporation, Gurugram; Municipal Corporation, Manesar; and municipal councils of Sohna, Pataudi, and Farrukhnagar towns.

District Magistrate-cum-District Election Officer Ajay Kumar said the polling parties had taken charge of their respective booths to conduct voting at 1,109 polling stations in the district. As per the schedule, the voting process would start at all stations at 8 am on Sunday,

he said.

Ajay has issued instructions to all polling parties and the security personnel deployed with them to reach their respective booths on Saturday evening itself. He said no employee was to leave the booth. He clarified that to conduct the elections successfully, it was for presiding officers, included in the polling party, to go to their respective polling stations and check their booth set-up so that the voting process could be started after the mock poll at 7 am on Sunday as per the scheduled time. The voting process would be completed between 8 am and 6 pm. After the completion of the voting, all polling parties have to deposit the EVMs and necessary forms back to where they had collected them from. Only the transport prescribed as per the government’s rules was permitted to be used for the movement of the polling parties. He assured the polling parties that all basic facilities had been ensured for voters and government employees at all polling stations.

The administration has already banned the sale and consumption of liquor at public places to ensure law and order situation during the elections. Liquor will not be available for purchase on March 1, 2, and 12 in the designated election areas, as these days have been declared as “dry days.”

Ajay said all establishments selling alcohol—including liquor shops, bars, and pubs—located within a three-kilometre radius of the municipal election areas would remain completely closed for three specific days: the day before voting, the day of voting, and the day of counting. The government has warned violators of

strict action.

In order to tackle any medical emergencies during the elections, the administration has asked the Health Department to deploy medical staff in all health institutions till the polling process is over.

Ajay Kumar said elections would be conducted in a free and fair manner. He said the police were keeping a close watch on anti-social and criminal elements to ensure that they did not create any law and order problem.