Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 24 (PTI) The Election Commission on Tuesday said that of the 2,125 nominations received by it for the upcoming assembly polls in Kerala, 1,637 have been accepted and 337 were rejected.
Kerala Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rathan U Kelkar said that by the time the entire scrutiny process is over, it would result in a final pool of around 1,254 candidates.
He further said the machinery required for such an immense democratic exercise was ready.
Detailing the preparations, Kelkar told reporters that 1.75 lakh polling officials have been deployed and are currently undergoing rigorous training across various districts.
He also said that the EC has introduced “E Vidya,” an online training platform.
The poll panel is also placing a heavy emphasis on inclusivity and transparency and intends to streamline voting from home to ensure integrity, he said.
For the first time, media personnel will be eligible for postal ballots, the CEO added.
For security during the election process, the EC has requested 145 companies of central forces to oversee 30,471 polling stations, particularly the 2,040 booths identified as sensitive, Kelkar said.
Regarding the voter demographic, he said that there was a massive electorate of 2,71,42,952 voters — 1,32,20,811 men, 1,39,21,868 women and 273 transgender voters.
The number of overseas voters is 2,42,093 comprising 2,04,218 men, 37,867 women, and 8 transgenders, the CEO said.
Additionally, there are 53,984 service voters, consisting of 51,330 men and 2,654 women.
There will be a special campaign for the 18-30 age group, which would help increase the turnout to 85 per cent this time.
Addressing recent controversies, the CEO also spoke about the “BJP seal” issue on official forms.
Acknowledging that it is an “unacceptable lapse” that occurred on March 19, he confirmed that all political parties were notified by March 21 and the error was rectified.
The officer responsible for the lapse has been suspended, and a high-level inquiry led by Special Secretary P B Nooh is expected to conclude within 48 hours, Kelkar said.
Regarding the removal of certain news content from social media by police, the CEO clarified that such actions have been taken to curb the circulation of misleading and potentially harmful content on social media platforms in connection with the assembly polls.
On the controversial “Hindu MLA” remark made recently by BJP candidate B Gopalakrishnan, Kelkar said it has already been ordered to remove the video from social media and legal advise has been received on whether a statement made before the official filing of a nomination constitutes a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. PTI HMP ROH
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