6.5 lakh voters to exercise franchise tomorrow
Pondicherry, May 7 : About 6.5 lakhs voters in 27 constituencies in Pondicherry and Karaikal regions of the union territory will decide the fate of over 200 candidates in the second and final phase of the assembly polls here tomorrow.
Elections in Mahe, Palloor and Yanam constituencies were held in the first phase on May 3.
Having gained an edge in the campaigning, the Congress led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) is confident of a better performance in the elections.
Polling officals have been dispatched with election materials and security personnel to the 660 booths, of which 539 are in Pondicherry region. According to election department sources, all arrangements for smooth and peaceful conduct of the elections have been made.
Polling will be held from 0700 hours to 1700 hours tomorrow.
Electronic voting machines (EVMS) have been dispatched to all the booths and adequate number kept in reserve with the sector officers to meet any emergency, the sources said.
As many as 2000 police personnel, including Central Para Military forces and India Reserve Battalion personnel, have been deployed for election duty. Seventy seven booths were identified as sensitive and additional security measures taken.
The election department has also identified 15 booths in which a particular party or a particular candidate had obtained more than 70 percent votes in the 2001 assembly elections and 2004 Lok Sabha elections. All voters in these booths and the sensitive booths will be photographed during polling day.
Three former Chief Ministers and the founder president of the Puducherry Munnetra Congress (PMC) P Kannan are the prominent condidates in this phase.
UNI