Voters’ awareness activities must be intensified. All essential measures must be taken to ensure that voters exercise their franchise so that maximum voting takes place. The objective is to ensure that voting percentage in the Lok Sabha elections is more than that in the recent Assembly elections. Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan gave these instructions to all the Collectors and District Election Officers, District Nodal Officers of SVEEP and Commissioners of all Municipal Corporations of the state through video conferencing. He said that to increase the voting percentage, attractive activities which can automatically motivate eligible citizens to vote must be organised. He said that all the collectors should make polling stations voter friendly. All appropriate arrangements should be made in the polling station so that voters coming to the polling station to vote do not face any kind of inconvenience. Shade, cold water, medicine, ORS packets should be available in the polling booth. All arrangements should be made so that the polling party or anyone else in need of medical assistance can get immediate treatment. Paramedical staff should remain present along with sector officers.

 

He also instructed all the collectors and district election officers to ensure that voters do not have to wait in long queues to cast their vote. For this, they can also appoint additional employees in polling stations. Try to ensure that voters cast their votes in the shortest possible time. He said that all the collectors should thoroughly inspect all types of warehouses and storage centers in their area and see whether any kind of illegal material or objectionable item is stored there. For this, they should further strengthen their information and monitoring system. Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan said that all the Collectors and District Election Officers should ensure to strictly follow the SOP (protocols) prescribed by the Election Commission of India for the necessary activities to be carried out 72 hours, 48 ??hours and 24 hours before voting and remove all shortcomings.

 

He asked all the collectors to take strict preventive action against criminal elements. Notices should be served immediately and also information about such action should be provided through the media. The results of restrictive actions should also be visible. Zilabadar action should be taken against anti social elements and they must be monitored also. He said that in order to inform the voters about their polling station, all the collectors and district election officers should distribute voter slips and voter guides as soon as possible. Also invite voters to come to the polling station in different ways. Get the EVM commissioned properly. Maintain complete transparency in every election work and try to ensure that political parties or candidates or their representatives are present during every election process.