Collector issues directions, appeals to voters and employers ahead of GVMC poll

District Collector and District Election Officer M. Abhishikth Kishore on Friday issued a series of directions and appeals ahead of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections, with polling scheduled to be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The 120 wards have 18,37,901 voters and 1,990 polling stations, of which 1,581 are in government buildings and 409 in private ones. Of these polling stations, 104 have been classified as sensitive and 570 as hyper-sensitive; none is critical. The arrangements include 14,334 polling personnel, 201 routes, 61 sectors, 10 distribution centres, and 4,378 ballot boxes.

Reviewing the distribution centre on a technical college campus at P.M. Palem, Mr. Kishore directed officials to finish preparations well in advance and plan an orderly issue of material. Material for each station is to be sorted beforehand with identification labels, and the checklist is to be verified at the time of issue.

With campaigning having ended at 5 p.m., he reminded parties, candidates, and agents that the silent period is in force. Public meetings, rallies, processions, and campaigning through loudspeakers or on social media in violation of the rules are prohibited. Political functionaries and party workers who are not voters in the GVMC limits must leave the city, and the police will check hotels, lodges, guest houses, and kalyana mandapams. Liquor outlets will be closed, and distribution of cash, liquor, or gifts to voters will invite legal action.

The Collector urged every voter to carry one of the 12 identity documents prescribed by the State Election Commission. Voters will be given a pink ballot paper for the mayoral candidate and a white one for the corporator, and both are to be dropped in a single box.

He appealed to private, commercial, and industrial establishments to grant a paid holiday on Sunday or, where that is not possible, at least three hours off to enable employees to vote. All concerned, he said, must comply with the Commission’s orders and the Model Code of Conduct.

In a video conference chaired by State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha, Mr. Kishore said arrangements were being made in coordination with the police and the GVMC, and that the Commission’s rules would be followed to the letter.