1,310 auxiliary polling stations to be set up in Ludhiana district for Assembly polls

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 9

As the Assembly polls are slated early next year, preparations have been started for the same. In view of the anticipated third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that may hit in the last months of the year, the district administration would set up 1,310 auxiliary polling stations in the district in addition to the 2,749 existing stations for maintaining social distancing norm during voting.

Presiding over a meeting with representatives of various political parties, Deputy Commissioner (DC)-cum-District Electoral Officer (DEO) Varinder Kumar Sharma said to take precautionary measures for preventing overcrowding of voters in polling stations due to Covid-19, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to limit the number of voters for each polling station at 1,000 and the auxiliary station would be established wherever the number of voters exceeds 1,000.

He said as per the latest data till January 15, 2021, Ludhiana has 2,60,6484 voters and 2,749 polling stations due to which the administration would create 1,310 auxiliary polling stations.

Sharma said Ludhiana would have a total of 4,059 polling stations, of which 3,894 could be created in existing buildings where polling stations persist currently and 133 polling stations could be set up in nearby buildings, besides for remaining 32 polling stations, directions had been issued to assistant returning officers to immediately finalise locations.

He told the representatives of political parties to meet the Assistant Returning Officers of all 14 legislative Assembly segments and must check the locations of these 1,310 auxiliary polling stations so that these could be prepared as polling stations for the upcoming Assembly elections due in 2022.

Sharma also solicited their support in creating awareness about registration of new voters

among the public about www.nvsp.in.www.voterportal.eci.gov.in and toll-free helpline 1950 so that maximum persons could be enrolled as voters.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Amarjeet Bains and tehsildar (elections) Anju Bala were among those others present.

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