All arrangements are in place for the biennial elections on Thursday to the Legislative Council in three Graduates and three Teachers constituencies.
Polling will take place from 8 am to 4 pm on Thursday and counting on Feb 25.
Chief electoral officer Bhanwar Lal said 5,76,964 will vote in the Graduates and 55,158 in the Teachers constituencies. The local administration has sanctioned special casual leave to all government employees to enable them to participate in the voting.
Voters should use only sketch pen with violet-colour ink, which will be available at the polling stations, to mark their choice. The vote should be marked in Telugu, English or Roman numerals. Voters should produce any ID card, including Aadhaar, to cast vote. Liquor shops will be closed during the period.
“There are complaints that some candidates are luring voters with wrist watches, mobile phones, pressure cookers and others in East-West District Graduates constituency. If anyone is found transporting gift articles in bulk, the vehicles and goods will be seized,” Lal said.
Candidate dies: A candidate from East-West Godavari Graduates constituency, A Durga Prasad, died recently. Since the ballot papers have already been printed, the CEO appeals to voters not to vote for him. In case the deceased wins the election, the election will be conducted again.
Around 65 candidates in fray in the Graduates and 19 in the Teachers constituencies spread over 19 districts. Among the Graduates constituencies, East-West Godavari has the highest number of candidates (30), followed by Krishna-Guntur (19) and Medak-Nizamabd-Adilabad-Karimnagar (16). In Teachers constituencies, seven are in the fray in Srikakulam-Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam, six in Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda and six in Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar constituencies.