Mandi DC Apoorv Devgan says only electors carrying special slips can vote after 6 pm deadline

MANDI: Deputy Commissioner and returning officer Apoorv Devgan has said that all preparations have been completed for the Lok Sabha elections in Mandi on June 1 in the last phase of voting in the country.

In an exclusive interview with The Newz Radar, Devgan mentioned that voting will start at 7 am and continue till 6 pm. He clarified that only those people who are standing in a queue outside polling booths will be allowed to vote after 6 pm.

Polling booth officials will give a paper slip to everyone in line at 6 pm and only those individuals will be allowed to vote after 6 pm. He said personnel of Central Armed Police Forces, State Armed Forces and police from other states have been deployed to ensure smooth voting.

He said that polling parties have reached their respective polling booths throughout the parliamentary constituency today and are setting up the booths according to protocol for tomorrow’s voting. He emphasised that they ensure no election materials are placed within a 100-metre radius of the polling booth. He said over 47,000 new voters aged between 18 and 19 years will cast their vote in the Mandi parliamentary constituency this time.

He specifically appealed to the 13,113 service voters in Mandi parliamentary constituency to cast their vote as soon as possible and send them via postal ballot before June 4 so that their votes can contribute to strengthening the country’s democracy.

The Chief Election Officer further informed that there are 1,217 polling booths in the district, with 4,895 polling officials deployed. Two polling stations, Paddal of Mandi Assembly and Baloh of Sundernagar Assembly, will be operated by differently abled polling officials.

Twenty polling stations, two from each Assembly seat, will be operated by female polling officials.

One polling station in each Assembly constituency will be operated by young polling officials, all of whom will be serving at the polling station for the first time. He also mentioned that 611 polling stations in the district will have webcasting, 61 will have videography and 529 will have photography. Necessary preparations have been made for this. Of the 1,217 polling booths in Mandi district, only 11 lack mobile connectivity; all other polling stations have mobile connectivity, with alternative arrangements made where necessary.

In the Mandi parliamentary constituency, there are 1,377,173 voters, including 13,113 service voters. The number of male voters is 7,607 more than female voters, with 685,832 male voters and 678,225 female voters. Additionally, there are three transgender voters in the entire parliamentary area. In the Assemblies seats of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Sarkaghat, Nachan, Jogindernagar, Mandi and Balh, female voters outnumber male voters.

He stated that upon reaching the polling stations, these polling parties will report their safe arrival through an online app. For the voting on June 1, these polling parties will set up the machines. He also appealed to all voters to participate enthusiastically in the voting.

For voting from Mandi district, 1,195 polling parties have been dispatched. These include 111 from Sundernagar, 120 from Karsog, 124 from Gohar, 145 from Thunag, 131 from Padhar, 129 from Jogindernagar, 105 from Dharampur, 114 from Mandi, 106 from Balh, and 110 from Sarkaghat. Polling parties for 22 booths operated by female polling officials and differently abled polling officials are departing on May 31 for the voting.