HYDERABAD: “It is 5 pm and the silence period has started’’, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Vikas Raj said and added it would continue for 48 hours, that is 5 pm on Thursday. Star campaigners and political leaders should refrain from addressing media by the way of press conferences and giving interviews on election matters.
According to the CEO, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been promulgated across the state. Stringent action will be taken against those violating the law, he added. Vikas Raj warned that no meetings should be held by any of the political parties. Exit polls are prohibited till half an hour after the end of polling on November 30.
Voter slips should not have party symbols and names of candidates. mobile phones are not allowed in polling stations, he said. As this is the crucial period in view of polls, the District Electoral Officers and police officials have been told to keep a vigil and a close watch around the clock to control the flow of cash and liquor.
To keep a close watch on voting in the polling stations, webcasting will be done in about 27,094 polling booths across the state and in 757 polling stations, webcasting will be done outside the polling stations.
Vikas Raj said that out of the 1,68,612 postal ballots issued to the service voters, as many as 1.48 lakh people have utilised the facility and another 25,000 voters have the opportunity to use it till Wednesday.
Rapido offers free rides to 2,600 polling booths in Hyderabad
Ahead of the Assembly elections on November 30, ride-sharing platform Rapido announced free rides to 2,600 polling stations in Hyderabad on the day of the election. “By facilitating free bike rides on election day, we intend to encourage citizens to exercise their right to vote,” said Rapido’s Co-founder Pavan Guntupalli. Rapido acknowledges that transportation is a critical factor in voter participation. By announcing this initiative, they aim to contribute in boosting the voter turnout in the city, especially among the younger demographic. The one-time code to avail of the offer is “VOTENOW”.