Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, May 7: "For the election being held in Dakshina Kannada district on May 12, public campaign will end 24 hours earlier. Therefore, all the political leaders, who have arrived from outside, need to return from the constituencies on May 10 by 6 pm. At the same time, there is no bar on door to door visits for electioneering," clarified deputy commissioner and returning officer for Dakshina Kannada district, Sasikanth Senthil. 

Addressing a press conference at the office of the deputy commissioner here on Sunday May 6, Senthil said that no poll survey results can be published 24 hours before the election and 30 minutes after the ending of the poll period. For releasing advertisement in the media on May 9 and 10, prior permission would be necessary, he pointed out. He added that mock polling is being undertaken in advance for the coming poll in all the 1,858 polling booths. Therefore, all the polling agents should be present at 5.45 am that day. There is no question of waiting for the arrival of polling agents if they do not come at the prescribed time. The polling agents who come in the morning should be present at the polling booths till the end of polling that day," he explained.  

Deputy Commissioner

The returning officer said that third phase shuffling of polling officers will be undertaken at the district electoral office on May 10 in the presence of poll observers. On May 11, polling officers would be told about the polling booths where they have to discharge duties, he added. 

Senthil said that 517 difficult polling booths have been identified in the district and in such centres, webcasting/deployment of paramilitary forces/videography and micro observers have been appointed. He said that access to polling booths would be restricted to voters, their small children, companions or blind or weak voters, polling staff, officers vested with election duties, candidate contesting the election and their election agent, plain clothed security staff who are not uniformed and have concealed their weapons. 

He said that facility centre has been opened for helping the voters to find out their serial numbers and division number of the polling list. 

Additional deputy commissioner, Vaishali, and district information officer, Khader Shah, were present at the press conference.