KL Desk
Srinagar
Amid stringent security measures, Jammu and Kashmir State is all set to go for the legislative council polls under Panchayati Raj qouta on Monday. Prior to the polls, authorities had a marathon meeting at Srinagar on Sunday to ensure that everything goes well on Monday. More than 33,000 Village heads are to decide the fate of at least 37 candidates for the available 4 seats in the upper house under PR quota.
Sources told KNS that the ECI appointed observer for the polls Shantmanu held a high level review meeting on Sunday which was attended by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Asgar Samoon, Inspector General of Police Kashmir, S.M Sahai besides other senior civil and police officers. The meeting reviewed the final arrangements for Monday’s polls.
Meanwhile MOS Home Nasir Aslam Wani told KNS on Sunday evening that the government was committed to provide security to all the voters and the contesting candidates so that the poll process pass off peacefully.
Among the total 145 polling booths, 57 have been declared sensitive whereas 42 have been identified as the hypersensitive where more security will be put in place. Authorities have said that at least 27 companies, 20 of them in Kashmir alone of paramilitary forces have been put on high alert .
Meanwhile all the security staff along with the polling material has been dispatched from district headquarters late in the afternoon amid high security cover. Sources told KNS that the parties escorted by police contingents would reach to the polling booths during night where as the staff has already reached to far flung areas via choppers. The state would be going to LC polls after 38 years.
On the other side Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr. Asgar Hassan Samoon today reviewed arrangements with regard to smooth conduct of Legislative Council elections with all Deputy Commissioner through a video conference. He was informed that all the polling staff and election material have reached the polling stations. He also reviewed the arrangements made by the respective Deputy Commissioners for dispatch of the polled Electronic Voting Machines to the counting centers.
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir also convened a meeting with chief election agents and representatives of various political parties and discussed various issues related to smooth conduct of election for two seats of Legislative Council under Panchayat quota being held on December 03, 2012.
The meeting was informed that 17,912 voters will exercise their franchise in Kashmir division at block level where polling material has already been dispatched. It was further informed in the meeting that Election Commission has authorized setting up of 04 special polling booths at Karnah, Keran, Buda-Nambal and Jumgund in Kupwara district because of inclement weather and snowfall in the area. “Polling material stands already airlifted to facilitate the voters of these areas”, informed the Divisional Commissioner.
The Divisional Commissioner assured that the election will be conducted in a free and fair manner and no violation of model code of conduct shall be tolerated.
Divisional Commissioner also asked the representatives of the candidates to furnish details of the counting agents by December 04, 2012 so that security passes be issued in their favour for counting of polled votes on December 06, 2012 at SKICC, Srinagar.
