BBMP Election  Schedule Announced: Pollling on Feb 21
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Dec 7: After three years of delay and postponement on one pretext or the other, finally, the long-awaited calendar of events for holding the elections to the crucial Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) or Greater Bangalore City Corporation Council has been announced. And the polling day is February 21.

Counting will be held on February 24 and the elections are slated for completion by February 25. Polling will be held on February 21 from 7 am till 5 pm.

The official notification for holding the elections , which marks the commencement of the process of elections, will be issued on February 1.

Elections are being held for 198 wards and the code of conduct for the elections will come into force from January 15 and remain in force till February 25, the day of completion of the polling process, when the results will be known.

State Election Commissioner C R Chikmath, who announced the calendar of events for the BBMP polls, said the filing of nominations will commence from February 1 with the publication of the official notification. Candidates can file their nomination papers till February 8 with scrutiny to be held on February 9. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 11.

As many as 66,19,704 voters, comprising 34,82,698 men and 31,37,006 women, will be exercising their franchise. A total of 7,260 presiding officers and 21,773 polling staff will be involved in the elections. In addition, four returning officers and eight additional returning officers and several other officers will be in charge of the electoral process, Chikmath said.

This will be the first time that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used in the BBMP polls.  In a gesture to help the blind voters, braille numbers will be used in the EVMs.

Chickmath announced that the electoral rolls will be uploaded in the website for the first time and voters will be able to find out which polling stations they will have to cast their votes.  The website is: www.bbmpelections.info.