The Election Commission of India has mooted a plan to provide transport facility to voters in certain pockets where polling stations are located in distant places and voters find it difficult to reach there, Karnataka State Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha said here on Saturday. The exercise will be taken up on a pilot basis.
Speaking to reporters, Jha said that the District Electoral Officers concerned have been authorised to take a decision on the matter. “However, the voters who wish to avail the facility will have to pay for it,” he said.
Stating that the EC has prohibited all political parties and candidates from arranging transport to ferry voters to the polling stations, he said that on a pilot basis, it has been decided to introduce the system in certain pockets, mainly in the hilly regions, by the Election authorities themselves.Stating that all arrangements had been made to conduct the elections in a peaceful manner, Jha appealed to voters to cast their votes without fear or favour. “The EC has been engaged in preparations for the Assembly elections for the last three months”, he said.
Over 3,11,142 polling personnel including 2,53,003 polling officers, 48,182 policemen, and 9,957 drivers and conductors will man 51,829 polling stations in 223 assembly segments. Only Periyapatna will vote later this month.
The total seizure of unaccounted cash has touched Rs 17.75 crore, he said, adding that other material like gold and silver articles, sarees, household articles and food grains worth over Rs 6.5 crore had also been confiscated. The authorities have also seized illegal liquor worth over Rs 6 crore, he added.He said in the last 24 hours, police have seized Rs 20 lakh in Honnalli, Rs 7 lakh at Jamakhandi, Rs 7.5 lakh at Hiriyur, Rs 4 lakh at Kampli and Rs 3 lakh at Bagepalli.
In a major liquor seizure, Excise officials impounded about 1,192 boxes of liquor in Teerthahalli taluk of Shimoga district, he said.
Police have also booked about 797 cases and the total number of cases of violation of the Model Code of Conduct has touched 2,392, he added.