The first phase of Haryana Panchayat polls will be held in ten of the 22 districts of state on October 30 and November 2, State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh announced on Friday.
The ten districts to go to polls first are Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Mahendergarh, Nuh, Panchkula, Panipat, and Yamunanagar. Polling
will be conducted from 7 am to 6 pm.
“On October 30, polling will take place to elect members of zila parishad and panchayat samitis of these ten districts, while polls for sarpanches and panches of gram panchayats of the ten districts, will be held on November 2,” Dhanpat Singh said in a press conference in Panchkula. The nomination process for the first phase will start from October 14.
“Counting of votes for panches and sarpanches of gram panchayats will take place on the same day, while counting for zila parishad and panchayat samiti members election, which are expected to be held on party lines and can have a bearing on the results of other districts, will take place after polling in the remaining districts,” Singh said.
Polling dates for the remaining districts will be given later, he said.
With the announcement of the Panchayat elections, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force from Friday. No officer or official connected with the election work shall be transferred from his/her present place of posting till the completion of the election process. It was informed further by the state election commission that the state government cannot announce any new schemes, new projects etc. in the rural areas of these districts. In the districts where the model code of conduct is in force, the government cannot inaugurate or lay the foundation stone for any building, project, etc.
Haryana State Election Commissioner, Dhanpat Singh said that conducting free, transparent and fair elections is a very important task. “Departments including Police, Health, Power, Excise and Taxation and others should work amicably to ensure peaceful, free and fair poll,” added Sh. Dhanpat Singh, while chairing the state-level meeting with the top official regarding the conduct of general elections of three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the State held in Panchkula here on Friday.
Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, Additional Chief Secretary Home Department, T.V.S.N Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary Development and Panchayats Department, Anil Malik, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Dr. Amit Agrawal and Secretary, State Election Commission, Dr. Inderjeet, other Administrative Secretaries, Head of Departments and senior police officers also remained present in the meeting.
The officials informed that elaborate arrangements are being made by the police for the conduct of elections in a fair, transparent and peaceful manner. An adequate police force shall be deployed to maintain law and order at the polling stations and extra police force will be provided in sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas. The additional police force should be deployed at these booths.
Further immediate action will be taken If someone is found posing with an unlicensed weapon. During the election, some candidates who try to lure voters with freebies, will be under scanner.Hence necessary action will be taken against such people.
According to the state election commission the Police will also be responsible for ensuring the safety of the EVMs. Police patrol should be increased in villages
The officials directed the Power Department to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply at the polling booths. In the polling booths where there is any problem related to electricity, then the department should visit these booths in advance and ensure better arrangements there. Besides, the Education, Technical Education and Industrial Training Departments that if any repair is required in the educational institutions where polling booths are to be set up, it should be completed well in advance. Arrangements of ramps etc. should be made at these places so that Persons With Disabilities and the elderly can easily cast their votes. Beside, the election commission directed the Chief Engineer, Public Health Engineering Department to make adequate arrangements for clean drinking water and cleanliness in toilets at all polling booths. The Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department has been directed that the guidelines and directions issued regarding COVID-19 related protocol should be meticulously followed during elections. Besides this, complete arrangements for first aid in the nearest dispensary, primary health centre, community health centre or general hospital should also be ensured in case of any injury during elections. The officials of the commission said that that the police and the Excise and Taxation Department should keep a close watch on the sale of illicit liquor during elections. Regular raids and patrolling should be done continuously in those areas where any suspicious activities are reported.
A complete ban on the purchase and sale of liquor in these areas should be ensured a day before the polling and on the day of polling and counting of votes. There will be a complete ban on the sale of liquor within one kilometre of the polling area. This time elections can be seen on the ‘Mhari Panchayat’ portal developed by NIC. In this, the nominations of the candidates, the final lists of the contesting candidates will be uploaded. Besides this, an e-dashboard has been prepared for the day of polling and counting so that anyone can see the poll trends, voting percentage and final results sitting at home.
