Imphal: A signature campaign on electoral participation was launched on Friday from the Chief Electoral Officer’s Office, aimed at targeting all electors particularly the youth to cast their votes on poll day in a free, fair, peaceful manner and without any inducement or fear from any external factor.
Various explainer videos on applications like C-Vigil, 1950 (toll-free no.), Know Your Candidate (KYC), Saksham, Voter Helpline etc. have been popularised through multiple media platforms to promote ethical, informed, inclusive and accessible voting. Large hoardings and posters with information on empowering voters have been installed at all strategic locations across the State.
TV/Radio talks, jingles etc. have been taken up in a big way given the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Awareness programmes on the opportunity to cast votes by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have also been taken up at all relief camps.
The 1st Randomisation of EVM/VVPAT was completed on March 23, 2024, in all districts. 2nd randomization was carried out on April 5, 2024, by the respective Returning Officers in the presence of the General Observer and the contesting candidates/their authorised agents. Commissioning of the EVMIVVPATs has commenced in all districts from today and 64 engineers from Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. have arrived and they have been allocated across all districts for the purpose.
All the contesting candidates have been duly informed of their presence during the 2nd randomisation and the 1st round of training of Polling personnel has been completed and 2d round of training after the 2nd randomisation of Polling personnel is in progress.
Three General Observers, two Police Observers and four Expenditure Observers, appointed by the Election Commission of India, have arrived to oversee the preparation, and conduct of Lok Sabha Election-2024. 94 Special Polling Stations have been identified across the State to facilitate voting by the Internally Displaced Persons, as per a press bite issued by the Joint Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur.
Speaking to media persons, CEO Manipur Pradeep Kumar Jha said his department was fully prepared to hold the 18th Lok Sabha election in the state slated on 19 April and 26 April in a free fair and peaceful manner and without any inducement factors.
The officer further informed that the enforcement agencies have started their routine activities by setting up various checkpoints and proper review and monitoring of their activities are also being done.
For the IDPs, Jha said, his department has identified nearly 24,500 voters in more than 300 relief camps across 10 districts in the state and arrangements have been made for them. The ID forms have been distributed through which the IDP voters would be given the choice of polling stations. For this, 19 special polling stations have been created, he added.
