Victory celebration expenses of candidates to be credited to poll accounts

CUDDALORE: 

         Expenses incurred on victory celebrations of candidates winning the Assembly elections will also be credited to their respective poll accounts, according to P. Seetharaman, District Electoral Officer and Collector.

           Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Seetharaman said that since the candidates were given 30 days time after the counting of votes to submit their poll accounts, the money spent by the successful candidates on throwing parties or hosting feasts, bursting firecrackers and taking out victory rallies would also be accounted for.

Mr. Seetharaman said that there are three counting centres : 

Periyar Government Arts College in Cuddalore (where the votes polled in the Cuddalore, Kurinjipadi, Panruti and Neyveli constituencies would be counted); 

B.Mutlur Government Arts College (Chidambaram, Bhuvanagiri and Kattumannarkoil constituencies); and, 

Kolanjiappar Government Arts College at Vriddhachalam (Thittakudi and Vriddhachalam constituencies).

           Counting would begin at 5 a.m. on May 13 with the manual draw of lots (and not the computerised randomisation as was done for allocating polling stations to the officials) by the general election observer for allocation of counting centre for the officials, and, at 6 a.m. the Assembly segment and the table number to which they would be posted would be determined, again by lots.

            The officials should report to the respective counting centre to take oath at 8 a.m. to the effect that they would safeguard the secrecy of voting. Mr. Seetharaman said that those who failed to honour the oath or violated the secrecy law would have to undergo three months rigorous imprisonment or penalty or both. Mr. Seetharaman said that ballot boxes containing postal votes would be shifted to the respective counting centres with police escort at 6 a.m. These postal votes would be taken up for counting at 7.30 a.m.

         There would be 10 to 12 tables for each Assembly segment and even though the serial number of EVMs to be counted on every table had been tabulated, the general election observer would randomise the EVM selection for each table. After every round of counting, the display of total votes polled would be recorded on web-camera fitted laptops.

          After getting the concurrence of the general election observer, the candidate-wise votes polled in every round would be displayed on LCD screens and notice board put up at the counting centres. The candidates or their agents are not allowed to carry cell phones inside the counting centres. They should not carry water bottles, food, or any sharp-edged weapon, Mr. Seetharaman said.

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Tight security at counting centres

 

ROUND-THE-CLOCK VIGIL:Collector P. Seetharaman inspecting the counting centre in Periyar Government Arts College in Cuddalore on Wednesday.

CUDDALORE: 

          For the purpose of providing foolproof security to the counting centres, three zones have been earmarked, namely inner perimeter, middle perimeter and outer perimeter, according to P. Seetharaman, Collector and District Electoral Officer.

          He made this observation to The Hindu after inspecting the security arrangements along with Superintendent of Police Ashwin Kotnis at Periyar Government Arts College, serving as the counting centre for four Assembly constituencies such as Cuddalore, Panruti, Neyveli and Kurinjipadi, on Wednesday.

           The Collector said that the inner perimeter was the zone where the electronic voting machines were kept in strongrooms and guarded by the armed personnel of the Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) and the Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP) Force. One laptop each had been placed in front of every strongroom, in which the EVMs from a particular Assembly constituency were kept, to monitor round the clock the activities through web camera.

            Mr. Seetharaman said that all those entering the inner perimeter, including himself, the SP and election observers, would affix their signature and time of entry and exit in a register. In the middle perimeter, TSP personnel had been stationed and also representatives of the candidates of various political parties. The watchtowers too had been erected in this zone and armed guards posted. In the outer perimeter, that is, outside the campus, local police personnel had been deployed. Mr. Seetharaman said that no procession or meeting would be allowed within one-km radius of the counting centres.

                Uninterrupted power supply and flood-light arrangements too had been made in each of the centres. Striking force personnel and fire service personnel too had been kept ready, he added.

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Polls put government colleges in a predicament

CUDDALORE: 

           The Assembly elections have put government colleges in a predicament as they have invariably doubled up as examination and counting centres.

           Therefore, even though in the midst of conducting the academic year-end university examinations, these colleges would have to provide adequate space for accommodating the electronic voting machines and the security personnel till the counting is over.

            In playing the dual role, these colleges are facing practical difficulties and logistic problems. For instance, three government arts colleges in Cuddalore district such as Periyar Government Arts College located near the Silver Beach and two others at Vriddhachalam and Chidambaram are the designated counting centres for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Hitherto, these colleges have never faced such a piquant situation as of now, mainly because of the extended schedule for counting slated for May 13, exactly a month after the polling was over on April 13.

            Students and lecturers are seen going hither and thither inside Periyar Government Arts College, unmindful of the security drill and the armed personnel perching atop the watchtowers erected on the college campus. It defies the notion that the counting centres are the heavily guarded fortresses that cannot be easily accessed by commoners. Of the three wings of the college, the middle one has been taken over by the election authorities to be used as strongrooms for storing the EVMs of the four Assembly constituencies such as Cuddalore, Panruti, Kurinjipadi and Neyveli.

           While the first wing has been used as the administrative block, the third one is serving as examination centre. The students, numbering over 6,000, have been visiting the college in batches to take the examinations. Hence, the college has been bubbling with activity throughout the day. The security personnel at the main entrance verify their identity cards before allowing them inside and the lecturers are also subjected to the same rigour. Principal in-charge of the college K. Renganathan told The Hindu that after the EVMs were stored, the movement of the staff and students was restricted.

           On April 16, the students who did not bring their identity cards had difficulty in entering the college to get their hall tickets and, therefore, each of them had to be personally identified by the lecturers for gaining entry. A farewell party to be hosted in honour of two retiring professors on April 19 could not be held owing to opposition from political parties in holding any such event on the college premises. Mr. Renganathan further said that given the large number of students neither the examinations could be postponed nor could the venue be changed.

           Moreover, under the Thiruvalluvar University, there were 96 colleges all of which would have to complete the examinations, take up the valuation work, publish the results and start the admission procedures for the coming academic year within a time frame. Therefore, to avoid any further complication in this aspect, the university had allowed the colleges to conduct the examinations in two spells - one from April 16 to May 10, and, another from May 16 to 21. On an average, about 1,000 students were sitting for the examination every day, he said.

             Superintendent of Police Ashwin Kotnis said that since the strongrooms were fully secured there need not be any concern over their safety. Other than the entry of students, the thoroughfares running along these colleges were either cordoned off or vehicular traffic was diverted.

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Dry run carried out in Cuddalore

Police personnel in Cuddalore district are being briefed on EVM handling during transit to polling station, in Cuddalore on Wenesday.

CUDDALORE:

        A total of 188 sectoral officers and equal number of security personnel carried out a “dry run” to and from 1,995 polling stations situated across the district on Wednesday.

         A total of 188 vehicles were waiting at the Manjakuppm grounds for officials and police personnel to complete the training imparted to them in the presence of Collector P. Seetharaman, Superintendent of Police Ashwin Kotnis, election observer D.S. Dhok Rajurkar, special police observer Hariram Meena, Additional Collector (Development) Veera Raghava Rao and District Revenue Officer K.Rajendran.

        Mr. Seetharaman and Mr. Kotnis said that on the direction of the Election Commission, such a dry run was organised for the first time. Route maps for the journey of 188 sectoral officers and the accompanying security personnel to the polling stations had already been prepared. They would carry the electronic voting machines and polling materials to the assigned booths (each sectoral officer would take care of 10 to 15 booths). Each electoral officer would deliver the materials at the booths under his control one after another, and after the polling was over, they would collect the EVMs and other materials and deposit them at the counting centres.

       It was required of the officials to calculate the time taken for the journey to the polling stations and to test cell phone signals at every booth. If any shortcoming is noticed in getting signals, they would report the matter to the District Election Officer.

Random selection

         Later, police personnel were selected for poll duty through randomised computer selection, as was being done in the case of polling officials. Accordingly, 1,071 personnel had been selected for poll duty. They would be supported by the deployment of 600 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force, and, 110 personnel of Tamil Nadu Special Police Force.

         Mr. Kotnis further said that 58 mobile striking forces would be doing the rounds on the polling day and four more striking forces would be kept ready at the headquarters. In sensitive booths, additional security personnel would be posted. The services of ex-servicemen and National Cadet Corps would also be requisitioned, he said.

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EVMs kept poll-ready in Cuddalore

Cuddalore Collector P.Seetharaman verifying electronic voting machines in Cuddalore.

CUDDALORE: 

         Electronic Voting Machines for the Cuddalore and Chidambaram constituencies were made poll-ready on Tuesday by inserting ballot papers carrying names and symbols of the candidates, in the machines.

        The exercise was carried out under the guidance of a technician from Bharat Electronics Ltd., in the presence of Election Observer D.S. Dhok Rajurkar, District Election Officer P. Seetharaman, and, candidates and their agents. The functionality of the EVMs were verified and the Returning Officer affixed his signature on the rear of the ballot papers. After the task was completed, the EVMs were sealed for safe custody. Later, Mr. Rajurkar and Mr. Seetharaman reviewed the security arrangements at the places where the EVMs would be secured and counting centres.

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EVMs kept poll-ready in Cuddalore

Cuddalore Collector P.Seetharaman verifying electronic voting machines in Cuddalore on Tuesday.

CUDDALORE:

    Electronic Voting Machines for the Cuddalore and Chidambaram constituencies were made poll-ready on Tuesday by inserting ballot papers carrying names and symbols of the candidates, in the machines.

         The exercise was carried out under the guidance of a technician from Bharat Electronics Ltd., in the presence of Election Observer D.S. Dhok Rajurkar, District Election Officer P. Seetharaman, and, candidates and their agents. The functionality of the EVMs were verified and the Returning Officer affixed his signature on the rear of the ballot papers.

       After the task was completed, the EVMs were sealed for safe custody. Similar measures would be adopted for other constituencies on Wednesday. Later, Mr. Rajurkar and Mr. Seetharaman reviewed the security arrangements at the places where the EVMs would be secured and counting centres.

Dry run to be held today

          Mr Seetharaman told reporters that for the first time, a “dry run” would be conducted at Cuddalore, Panruti, Kurinjipadi, Chidambaram, Neyveli, Thittakudi, Vriddhachalam and Bhuvanagiri on Wednesday. For each of the Assembly segment, a company of Central Para Military Forces led by a sectoral officer and micro-observers would carry out a mock exercise of how to safely transport the EVMs the day prior to and after polling.

          Mr. Seetharaman further said that micro-observers, mostly employees of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation and banks, would be imparted training on the NLC Training Complex on April 8. On April 10, the microwave towers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. would be checked for load capacity and readiness of the polling stations would be checked.

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