Imphal: To encourage female voters to exercise their franchise, the Election Commission of India has decided to set up 600 all-women polling stations in the ensuing 12th Manipur Assembly election, officials said here on Thursday.
These stations will be managed by women officials only, they said.
With this, one out of every five polling stations will be manned by women polling personnel, said Rajesh Agrawal, Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur.
The officer further informed that a net of 13,203 voters have been added to the electoral rolls during the continuous updation and now the total electors on the final Electoral Roll stood at 20,48,169.
Agrawal said that a total of 265 candidates are contesting in the 60-seat Assembly, out of which 17 are female. One hundred and seventy-three candidates are in the first phase and 92 in the second phase. There were two withdrawals and one rejection in Phase-1, and two withdrawals and two rejections in Phase-2, the poll panel chief contended.
The nomination paper of Lunkhopao Haokip, NPP candidate from 41-Chandel AC has been rejected by the Returning Officer as he was found to be disqualified under Section 9A of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
A total of 56 candidates out of 265 candidates are having criminal antecedents, Agrawal added.
