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Tuesday,
May 7, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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EC’s no to use of EVMs Chandigarh, May 6 “We had requested the Election Commission to allow us to use EVMs in the May 19 elections. I personally talked to the Secretary to the Election Commission. In a written reply sent to us, the commission has expressed its inability to allow the use of EVMs on the plea that they cannot be used in local elections,” says Mr Chaman Lal Bains, Punjab State Election Commissioner. All arrangements have been completed for the smooth conduct of the municipal elections in which more than 25 lakh of nearly 1.5 crore electors of the state are expected to participate. Every sixth eligible voter in Punjab is from the four municipal corporation towns of the state. The elections to the Patiala Municipal Corporation are being held for the first time. The number of councillors to be elected is 60 in Amritsar — seven Scheduled Castes, four Scheduled Castes women, 16 women (general category) and two backward classes; 55 in Jalandhar — 10 Scheduled Castes, five Scheduled Castes women, 13 women (general category ) and two backward classes; and 70 in Ludhiana — five Scheduled Castes, three Scheduled Castes women, 20 women (general category) and two backward classes. Though the state government, in view of the municipal elections, had fixed May 5 as the last day for ordering transfers of its employees, a number of transfers and fresh postings ordered during the past few weeks will be effective from the date the municipal elections are over. In certain cases where employees have already been put on election duty but have been still transferred on administrative grounds or for other reasons, their fresh postings will be effective from the day the municipal elections conclude. A formal notification issued today said that the elections would be held on a single day before the expiry of the present terms of these corporations, the earliest of which was May 22. According to the notification, May 9 has been fixed as the last date for the filing of nomination papers while the scrutiny of these papers will be done on May 10. The State Election Commission has clarified that since May 11 is a Saturday, it is not covered under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. As such May 11 will be the last day for the withdrawal of nominations.The polling will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 19. The counting of votes will be held on the same day. By another notification, the State Election Commission has notified that the presiding officers of all polling stations in the four municipal corporation towns will also exercise the powers of assistant returning officers for the purpose of counting of votes in respect of the May 19 elections.  |
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