Karnataka bypolls: 6.76 lakh voters in Sira, RR Nagar, says poll panel

A total of 6.76 lakh people, including more than 7,000 first-timers, are eligible to vote in the November 3 Sira and Rajarajeshwari Nagar bypolls, the Election Commission said in its official notification on Friday.

Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar also released general guidelines for the conduct of bypolls during the Covid-19 pandemic, which state that only five people, including the candidate, will be allowed to go for door-to-door campaigns.

According to the notification, there are 2.15 lakh voters in Sira and 4.60 lakh in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. Of the total 1,008 polling stations, Sira has 330 and Rajarajeshwari Nagar 678.

Authorities will deploy 2,034 electronic voting machines with voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) systems.

Three categories of voters will be allowed to vote through postal ballot: Persons with disabilities, those aged above 80 years of age and those who are suspected to have Covid-19 or are under quarantine.

At the polling station, every official will be given a kit comprising a mask, sanitizer, face shield and gloves. Thermal scanning will be done for every voter and social distance will be maintained with 6-feet distance.

For political parties to hold road shows, the convoy should be broken after five instead of ten vehicles. “The interval between two sets of convoy vehicles should be half an hour instead of a gap of 100 metres,” Kumar said in a release.

At rallies or election meetings, the political parties and candidates should ensure that all Covid-19 requirements - masks, sanitizers, thermal scanning and so on - are fulfilled, Kumar said .

The election model code of conduct is being enforced through 42 flying squads and 35 static surveillance teams. While authorities have not seized cash till date, 251 litres of liquor worth Rs 1.15 lakh have been caught.

In Sira, authorities have removed 887 wall writings, posters and banners from public and private properties, whereas the figure stands at 593 in Rajarajeshwari Nagar.

The last date for candidates to file nominations is October 16. The nominations will be scrutinized on October 17 and they can be withdrawn before October 19. The date of poll is November 3 and votes will be counted on November 10.