Security personnel check vehicles ahead of Maharashtra Assembly elections
Credit: PTI Photo
Thane: Voters in Thane district will get an Assured Minimum Facility (AMF) at booths on the polling day on November 20 which includes basic amenities such as drinking water, ramps for the differently-abled, and adequate seating arrangements.
Braille facilities have also been set up at polling booths for visually Divyang voters, a poll official said on Monday.
More than 10,900 police personnel will be deployed in Thane district to prevent any untoward incident on the polling day.
The security personnel to be deployed include 4,161 home guards along with 24 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and State Armed Police Forces (SAPF), Thane district collector cum election officer Ashok Shingare told reporters.
Voting for all 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra will be held on November 20. Votes will be counted on Saturday.
Shingare said Rs 32.50 crore worth of seizures, including cash and other items, have been made since the poll code came into force, surpassing the seizure amounts in the last Lok Sabha elections.
The CVigil platform has played a key role in monitoring violations, with a record 1,933 complaints received, the highest in Maharashtra. Impressively, 93 per cent of these complaints were resolved within an average response time of just 48 minutes, Shingare added.
Explaining the preparedness for polling day on November 20, Shingare said special attention has been given to ensuring an Assured Minimum Facility (AMF) at every polling booth.
This includes providing basic amenities to voters such as drinking water, ramps for the differently-abled, and adequate seating arrangements.
The collector said political parties should make sure that those with a criminal background are not assigned duties outside the polling booths.
He said additional security measures are put in place in Airoli, Ovla-Majiwada and Bhiwandi East constituencies.
"The seizure of illicit materials and other irregularities was significantly higher in these constituencies during the last election. To address this, additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have been deployed," he said, adding that this number is expected to increase further given the heightened seizure activity this time around.
He said braille facilities have been set up at polling booths for visually Divyang voters. This move is aimed at ensuring that everyone, regardless of their disability, can participate in the democratic process.
Shingare informed that a total of 20 cases of violations of the model code of conduct have been registered, of which 18 were related to law and order issues.
Thane district comprise 18 assembly segments, including the high-profile Kopri-Pachpakhadi contested by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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