HYDERABAD: In what could be termed as a step ahead towards early polls, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajat Kumar will be leaving for New Delhi on Monday to meet the Election Commission of India (ECI) officials and apprise them of the state of poll preparedness in Telangana. He would submit a detailed report to the ECI regarding polling arrangements including that of polling stations, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and the requirement of police force. He would also explain ECI officials about the prevailing situation in Telangana.
The day after i.e. on September 11, an ECI team led by deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha would visit the State on a two-day visit to assess the ground situation for the smooth conduct of elections to the State Assembly. They would also meet with leaders of all political parties as well as CEO officials on Tuesday and gather information from them. On Wednesday, the team would hold discussions with officials on issues including voters list, EVMs, VVPATs, polling and police personnel required for polling arrangements. Later, they would submit a detailed report to the ECI.
All the district collectors have been issued instructions to be ready with all the necessary details regarding the ECI team’s visit to the State. The CEO will also hold a meeting with all the collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) of all the 31 districts, in Hyderabad, on September 12. Later on that day, the CEO would discuss poll-related issues with Chief Secretary SK Joshi and Director General of Police M Mahendar Reddy.