Datia, July 29 (IANS) The stage was set for polling in the Datia Assembly bypoll on Thursday (July 30), with the district administration completing all preparations and deploying central and state security forces to ensure a peaceful and fair election.
Datia Collector and District Election Officer Swapnil Wankhede said on Wednesday that all polling parties had been dispatched and the election machinery was fully geared up for the bypoll.
“We have completed all arrangements for the election. As many as 1,280 polling personnel have been deployed for election duty, and none of them belongs to the Datia Assembly constituency, ensuring complete impartiality in the polling process,” Wankhede told IANS.
He said 215 micro-observers had been appointed to monitor the voting process inside polling stations. Polling stations had also been categorised according to their sensitivity and all necessary arrangements, including transportation of election material, had been completed.
Polling will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., after which the electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be sealed and shifted to designated strong rooms under tight security, the Collector said.
Datia Superintendent of Police Mayur Khandelwal said elaborate security arrangements had been made across the constituency to ensure smooth polling.
“CRPF, State Armed Force (SAF) and Madhya Pradesh Police personnel have been deployed at polling stations and other sensitive locations. Multi-layer security arrangements have been put in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling,” Khandelwal told IANS.
He said intensive patrolling was being carried out across the constituency, while check-posts had been established at key locations. Quick Response Teams (QRTs), flying squads and reserve police forces had also been kept on standby to respond to any emergency, he added.
Polling personnel had reached their respective polling stations and all logistical arrangements had been completed in accordance with the Election Commission’s guidelines.
The bypoll was necessitated after former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction in a corruption-related case.
The election has turned into a high-profile political contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress, with the Aazad Samaj Party also entering the fray, making it a triangular contest.
The BJP has fielded Ashutosh Tiwari, while the Congress has nominated Ghanshyam Singh.
–IANS
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