Bengaluru: The filing of nomination papers begins from today for the State Assembly elections scheduled to be held on May 12. The last date for filing nomination papers is April 24.
According to sources in the Chief Electoral Office (CEO), the officials have kept infrastructure ready and the filing of nominations with returning officers (RO) of respective constituencies will commence with the beginning of office hours on Tuesday.
To make the process transparent and to monitor activities, CCTV cameras will be installed in all RO offices. For sensitive constituencies, a live feed at the RO offices have been set up. “We will be using SIM cards to get the action live from the RO offices, and these feeds will be available for viewing by the Election Commission and the CEO’s office, among the few places where sensitive constituencies are located,” sources said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission will also be drawing up a list of sensitive booths across the State after the process of withdrawal of nomination is complete. “The list will be prepared based on the candidates remaining in the fray. Some constituencies or booths will be termed ‘sensitive’ irrespective of the candidates since they will have history of some kind of violence or tension.”
Squads set up to keep an eye on unaccounted cash and items that could be used to induce voters have so far seized over Rs. 23 crore across the State.
In the last 24 hours, squads have also seized gutka, cookers, vehicle stickers, pamphlets, and vehicles among others.
