The Election Commission will on Friday and Saturday review the preparations for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officers of all the states.
The EC will review different aspects of poll preparedness across the country, including Electoral Rolls, ERO Net, polling station arrangements, EVM-VVPAT preparations, security management, accessibility to persons with disabilities, voter education, use of Information Technology applications, provision for budget, manpower and other resources and so on, the poll-panel stated on Thursday.
The Lok Sabha elections are likely to be held in April and May and the EC may announce the schedule of the multi-phase polling around the middle of March.
The commission will also discuss the takeaways and the lessons learnt from the recent assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana. It will review the status of facilitation provided to the voters by both online and offline methods.
The EC already sent out check-lists to all the CEOs on each important parameter and a detailed report has been sought from them on each point on check-lists. The CEOs will make comprehensive presentations on progress in making preparations in the respective states for the Lok Sabha elections.
The commission will also review the status of vulnerability mapping, security planning, availability of police forces and their requirement during forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“The EC wants the CEOs to make the elections totally voter-friendly and accessible for Persons with Disabilities and senior citizens and women,” the poll-panel said in a press-release.
The poll-panel already directed the CEOs to run a campaign on various media platforms to encourage eligible citizens to register as voters as well as to provide every facility for search of names on electoral rolls online, apart from by means of sending and receiving SMSes and through Voter Facilitation Centre at every ERO level.
The Commission has also directed the CEOs of all the States to activate the toll-free voter helpline number — 1950 — so that the grievances of the voters are promptly redressed.
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