MADIKERI: Amidst the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and new lockdown rules, Madikeri is gearing up to face the City Municipal Council (CMC) election. The electoral process will begin on Tuesday and a total of 23 wards will go to the polls. The CMC election in the city is being conducted after seven years.
Kodagu DC Charulata Somala on Monday visited the mustering centre at St Joseph’s Convent in Madikeri and observed the arrangements in place for the electoral process. The election will be held according to the COVID-19 SOPs and a total of 109 candidates are in the fray.
“The electoral process will be arranged across 27 voting booths within the city limits. The mustering work has been completed and all SOPs will be followed to ensure safety during the time of this pandemic,” confirmed Mahesh, the Madikeri tahashildar.
A total of 26,619 voters including 13,011 male and 13,606 female voters are likely to take part in the election process. However, many experts believe the electoral process might witness decreased participation from voters due to the existing pandemic situation and the new lockdown norms.
While the CMC election was withheld for three years following a High Court hearing, the declaration of election had brought some joy among the residents and the aspirant contestants. Nevertheless, the contestants were unable to carry out an election campaign due to the COVID situation and now they fear that the voter turnout will be low following the new lockdown rules.
“The concerned officials have made a list of voters who are COVID-positive. The patients will be given PPE kits, picked up from the containment zones and will be allowed to vote between 4 pm and 5 pm on Tuesday,” confirmed Mahesh.