Admn all set to hold free & fair Ludhiana West byelection, says DEO

A total of 1,74,437 voters will exercise their right to franchise on June 19 during the Ludhiana West byelection.

Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer (DEO) Himanshu Jain stated that the administration was fully prepared to conduct the bypoll in a free and fair manner.

He said 192 polling stations across 66 locations had been established to facilitate voting. The voter demographic includes 89,602 males, 84,825 females and 10 individuals identifying as third gender in the Ludhiana West segment. Additionally, the electorate comprises 100 service voters, 2,039 senior citizens, 2,896 young voters (aged 18-19), 17 overseas voters and 1,234 persons with disabilities (PWD).

To enhance the voting experience, the administration will set up 10 model polling booths. These include one managed by women, one by PWD staff and one eco-friendly ‘green’ polling booth. The polling will take place from 7 am to 6 pm, with counting scheduled for June 23.

According to the election schedule, the notification for the byelection has been issued on Monday. The last date for filing nominations is June 2 and the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on June 3. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 5. The polling will be held on June 19 from 7 am to 6 pm, with counting on June 23.

Nominations will be accepted between 11 am and 3 pm, with only five individuals, including the candidate, allowed during the filing process. Candidates must be registered voters in any constituency within the state. Security deposits are set at Rs 10,000 for general category candidates and Rs 5,000 for SC/ST candidates, to be deposited before or during the nomination filing. A certified copy of the voter list must accompany the nomination form for candidates from outside Ludhiana. Recognised parties require one proposer while Independents and unrecognised parties need 10.

Jain said the maximum limit for election expenses for an Assembly constituency had been fixed at Rs 40 lakh. Furthermore, any election expenditure incurred by candidates or political parties exceeding Rs 10,000 must be made using a crossed account payee cheque, draft, RTGS, NEFT, or any other electronic mode linked to the candidate’s bank account opened for election purposes. The rates for every election item have been set by the Election Commission. To assist in monitoring of the electioneering, several flying squad teams, static surveillance teams, video surveillance teams, and video viewing teams had already been formed.

The District Election Officer also mentioned that the commission had developed the Candidate App Suvidha, which allows candidates and political parties to allocate public spaces for meetings and rallies. The application can be downloaded from Google Play Store and helps users track their nomination and permission statuses. Additionally, ‘Know Your Candidate’ app has also been developed to inform voters about candidates’ criminal antecedents.

Jain emphasised the administration’s commitment to ensuring a peaceful and transparent electoral process, enabling all voters to exercise their democratic rights without hindrance. He also directed all enforcement agencies to strictly adhere to the model code of conduct, stating that strict action would be taken in case of any violations within the district, in accordance with the ECI guidelines.

The DEO instructed officials to remove all political posters and hoardings from public properties under the jurisdiction of the Ludhiana West segment. He also mentioned that 24x7 CCTV surveillance of breweries, bottling plants, warehouses and godowns to prevent any unauthorised liquor distribution and emphasised continuous monitoring of liquor vends and thorough checks of vacant houses, plots and flats near these facilities, which could be used for illicit liquor storage.

He called for cooperation from all stakeholders to ensure the bypoll is conducted smoothly and peacefully.