Chandigarh, February 2
Over 1.27 crore voters will decide the fate of 983 candidates, including 60 women, in 90 constituencies of the Haryana Assembly tomorrow. The polling will begin at 8 a.m. and continue till 5 p.m.
To enable the people to cast their votes, 12,636 polling stations have been set up. These included 1,171 booths specially set up for members of the weaker sections of society. The authorities have identified 2,322 booths as sensitive and 2,526 booths as “hyper-sensitive”.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana, Mrs Urvashi Gulati, about 58,000 government officers and officials would be on election duty. These included 14,000 returning officers, 42,000 polling officers, 1400 supervisors and 932 sector magistrates.
To maintain law and order 53,000 security personnel, including 95 companies of the para-military forces, and home guards would be on duty.
According to Mrs Gulati, mobile services in the state will remain functioning on the polling day. The public transport system will also function normally. There will be no restriction on vehicular movement on the national and state highways and main district roads.
She said a helpline would be available in all districts to facilitate the electors in getting election-related information like publication of their names and number in the voter list and location of the polling booths. This information could also be obtained from the website of the
Election Department: http://ceoharyana.eci.gov.in.
As many as, 12,765 electronic machines would be used to enable the people exercise their franchise and an adequate quantity of electronic voting machines had been kept in reserve to meet any emergency.
She said that Haryana would be the first state in the country where photo identity electoral rolls would be used for conduct of elections in the Ambala Cantonment and Baroda constituencies. She said the Gurgaon constituency of Haryana would be the first constituency in the state where the blind would be able to cast their votes with the help of specially designed ballot papers in the Braille script.
She advised the electors to bring along with them their photo identity cards as a proof of their identity. They could also bring other documents like passports, driving licenses, identity cards issued by the public sector undertakings, local bodies or public limited companies or the state government to their employees, kisan pass book or ration card issued on or before December 31, 2004. Also, they could bring along Backward Class certificates, pension document like ex-serviceman (pension book, pension payment order in case of widows of ex-serviceman, dependant certificate, old age pension order or widow pension order, identity card of freedom fighter, arms license or certificate for being physically challenged issued on or before December 31, 2004.
While the Congress and the BJP are contesting all 90 seats, the INLD has fielded its nominees in 89 constituencies.
The main contestants include Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is contesting from Rori and Narwana; former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal (Adampur), his son, Chander Mohan(Kalka); three former Haryana Congress presidents Birender Singh (Uchana), Shamsher Singh Surjewala (Kaithal) and Balbir Pal Shah(Panipat); former Union Minister of State Venod Sharma (Ambala city), Working President of the Haryana Congress Randeep Surjewala (Narwana); Finance Minister Sampat Singh (Bhattu); industrialist-turned-politician Om Prakash Jindal (Hisar) and Bansi Lal’s two sons, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, who is President of the BCCI, and Surender Singh (Tosham).
Mr Mahendra is contesting from Mundhal Khurd in Bhiwani district.
