Step taken to pre-empt any threat by extremists

Polling for Adilabad (ST) Lok Sabha constituency in the 583 polling stations of Sirpur and Asifabad (ST) Assembly segments in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district will close at 4 p.m. on April 11 to pre-empt any threat by extremists.

In other five segments, Adilabad, Boath (ST) in Adilabad district and Nirmal, Mudhole and Khanapur (ST) in Nirmal districts, polling will take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to Adilabad District Election Officer and District Collector D. Divya, who is also the Returning Officer (RO) for the parliamentary constituency.

Prohibitory orders

Ms. Divya said that nearly 15 lakh voters will exercise their franchise in 2,097 polling stations for which all arrangement have been made. Prohibitory orders will be in force till the polling process is completed, she added.

The RO urged all concerned to follow the Dos and Don’ts related with election in order to ensure smooth, peaceful and free and fair election. She also urged voters to carry with them any one of the 12 photo ID cards as voter slip alone is not sufficient for casting their votes.

Superintendent of Police Vishnu S. Warrier said CCTVs have been installed in identified polling stations with an eye on keeping check on activities of anti-social elements and crowd management during polling. He said 43 cases of excise have been booked and liquor worth ₹3.68 lakh has been seized during the period of electioneering. While the Static Surveillance Teams and the police teams seized ₹10 lakh in unaccounted cash, fines amounting to ₹36 lakh have also been imposed on violators as part of visible policing.

The SP said polling stations have been categorised based on the intensity of threat in the area. As many as 95 polling stations have been categorised as critical in Adilabad district which takes the number of such stations to 253 across the parliamentary constituency, besides 74 affected by Left-wing extremism.