11,763 poll booths wait for action

50,000-strong security detail deployed in capital

The Delhi election office on Tuesday said it had completed preparations for parliamentary elections in Delhi, slated for April 10. 

Delhi’s chief electoral officer Vijay Dev urged voters to exercise their right to vote.Voters have to leave their cell phones outside polling booths.

Voting will be held at 11,763 polling stations of which 327 are declared as critical and 90 as  hyper critical stations.

About 50,000 security personnel have been deployed for election duty. A total of 161 flying squads have also been deployed, one for each police station in Delhi. The time for voting has been extended for two hours and it will be held from 7 am to 6 pm.

Dev made clear that people who do not have an Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) can exercise their franchise if their names are registered in the electoral list.

Besides EPIC, 11 other photo identity documents including passport, driving licence, service identity card issued by Central and state governments, PAN card, Aadhar card and Smart card issued for National Population Register can be used by the voters.

Health insurance smart card issued by Ministry of Labour, MNREGA job card, pension document with photograph and authenticated photovoter slip issued by the election office can also be used to establish identity.

“In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the overall voting percentage stood at 52.3 per cent, which increased to 66 per cent in the 2013 Delhi Assembly election,” Dev said here at a press conference.

There are 1.27 crore registered voters in Delhi, of which 3.37 lakh are first timers.For the government employees on election duty, the panel has issued 43,383 election duty certificates so that they can cast their votes. About 25,897 postal ballots have been issued to police personnel , 3,478 to civil servants on election duty to vote.

The poll panel has set up 88 check points at the entry and exit roads in border areas of Delhi.

So far 21 FIRs have been registered against BJP, 18 against AAP and 17 against Congress party for violation of model code of conduct.

“We have registered 11 FIRs for defacement of property, 18 FIRs for use of loudspeaker, illegal public gatherings and breaking usage of vehicles rules. Under the 65 DP Act, 52,833 persons have been detained and 93 unlicensed firearms have been seized. Some 647 licensed firearms have been submitted to the police. More than Rs 43 lakh have been seized,” Dev added.

The police have also seized a total of 25,776 litres of Indian and foreign made liquors.“About 6,530 out of 6,653 complaints received at the complaint centre have been disposed off,” he added.