Collector and Chief Electoral Officer Shalini Agarwal inspected the election material dispatch for District-Taluka Panchayats and Savli, Dabhoi and Padra Municipalities

Gave necessary guidance to the officials regarding polling of scheduled on 28th February from 7 am to 6 pm

Collector and Chief Electoral Officer Shalini Agarwal closely inspected the election material dispatch operation and gave necessary guidance to the officials regarding polling of District-Taluka Panchayats and Savli, Dabhoi and Padra Municipalities scheduled on 28th February from 7 am to 6 pm.

She said all the preparations are complete as per covid guidelines and special arrangements are there for the divyangs as well as senior citizens, pregnant women and others. The dispatching work is carried out with strict guidelines and police security. In view of Covid guidelines health teams are present at each mandaps and police deployment is also there at the dispatch and receiving centres as well as in buses and routes.

As far as elections is concerned, Collector Shalini Agarwal said the health teams at the booths will ensure to check the temperature of the voter, sanitise their hands and make them wear gloves while their cast their vote. The staff also will have the health kit with them to observe the strict Covid 19 guidelines and conduct polling with safety. In sensitive and hypersensitive booths group mobile, sector police mobile, sector magistrate, QRT’s, striking forces and armed police are deployed to ensure safe and peaceful polling. The security is also there ar the strong rooms.

104 candidates are in the fray for 34 seats of Vadodara District Panchayat, while 447 candidates are registered for 167 seats of 8 Taluka Panchayats of Vadodara District. The 16-Por meeting of Vadodara (Rural) Taluka Panchayat has been declared uncontested. These 8 taluka panchayats include Vadodara Rural, Dabhoi, Waghodia, Savli, Shinor, Karjan, Padra and Desar as stated by Collector Shalini Agarwal.

There are a total of 9,61,830 registered voters for the Vadodara District Panchayat and 8 Taluka Panchayat elections in the district. This includes 4,96,440 male, 4,65,379 female and 11 other voters. A total of 1174 polling stations will be set up for Vadodara district and 8 taluka panchayat elections so that all these citizens can exercise their voting right, added Collector Shalini Agarwal.

As many as 219 candidates are in the fray for 83 seats in Dabhoi, Padar and Savli municipalities, while 5 seats have been declared uncontested. In the uncontested seats, all the four seats of ward no. 2 of Padra municipality have been declared uncontested. Besides, the reserved women’s seat of Scheduled Tribes in Ward No. 5 of Dabhoi Municipality has also been declared uncontested. The counting of votes of these three municipalities will be done on 2-03-2021.

A total of 94,250 voters have registered for the Dabhoi, Padar and Savli municipal elections. This includes 47,826 male, 46,321 female and 3 others voters. Dabhoi, Padra and Savli municipalities have a total of 44617, 35517 and 14146 voters respectively. As many as 105 polling stations will be set up for these voters in all the three municipalities.

For Vadodara District and 8 Taluka Panchayat elections, 6572 officers and employees including reserve staff for 1174 polling stations will be involved in the election duty. These include 1308 Presiding Officers, 1308 Assistant Presiding Officers, 2708 Polling Officers 1284 other staff. Besides, eight election officers and 16 assistant election officers have been appointed for the election of 34 district panchayat seats and 16 election officers and 16 assistant election officers for 168 seats of 8 taluka panchayats. Security forces, including police and home guards, will be deployed to ensure that the polls are conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and law and order is maintained.

As many as 587 officers and staff, including reserve staff for 105 polling stations for Dabhoi, Padra and Savli municipal elections, have been appointed for election duty. These include 113 Presiding Officers, 113 Assistant Presiding Officers, 192 Polling Officers and 112 other staff. In addition, one election officer and one assistant election officer have been appointed for Dabhoi, Padra and Savli municipal elections.

Polling for district and taluka panchayat elections of Vadodara district as well as elections for Savli, Padra and Dabhoi municipalities has been held on 28th February from 7 am to 6 pm.

Concerning which, District Election Officer and Collector Shalini Agarwal has made a special request to strictly follow the guidelines of Covid-19 at the polling stations. It is very important that every voter should come to cast his vote wearing a mask. Voting staff will also be given face shields, gloves, sanitizer as part of the health kit. The temperature will be checked with a thermal gun.

She said that strict measures have been taken by the system to ensure safe voting. Masks, face shields, hand gloves, sanitizers, PPE kits will be kept at each polling station. Every voter and polling station staff and officer must strictly observe social distance.

Shalini Agarwal further said that the details of the ward / seat can be viewed online on the State Election Commission website sec.gujarat.gov.in. Helpline number 18002337701 will be given for guidance to voters on election day from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. In addition, voting details can be viewed every two hours on the website sec-poll.guj.nic.in.