Panchal visits Sultanpur Lodhi
Sultanpur Lodhi, March 19
To review poll preparedness, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Amit Kumar Panchal today visited local areas where he interacted with officials and directed them to ensure adequate arrangements as per the guidelines of the Election Commission.
Accompanied by Kapurthala SSP Vatsala Gupta, DC Panchal said all requisite preparations had already been accomplished and the district administration was all set for free, fair and smooth conduct of general elections in all four constituencies.
“The purpose of the visit to Sultanpur Lodhi is to assess the preparedness for Lok Sabha polls,” said Panchal, adding that the election machinery had geared up to facilitate voters at all 195 polling stations of Sultanpur Lodhi Assembly constituencies.
He said two volunteers would be deployed at each polling station to facilitate voters, especially persons with disabilities (PwDs) and senior citizens.
While interacting with mediapersons, the District Election Officer said EVMs, VVPATs, electoral rolls and sufficient manpower for the election purpose were fully prepared for seamless conduct of the polls. He said violation of the model code of conduct would not be acceptable and political parties should abide by the guidelines issued by the Election Commission in this regard.
He also appealed to representatives of political parties to take prior approval of any political activities from the competent authorities. He said adherence to the directives of the ECI was must and all stakeholders should act with responsibility so as to ensure smooth polls.
Meanwhile, SSP Vatsala Gupta also reiterated that law and order would be maintained at all costs. She said vigil had already been enhanced across the district. Police check posts (nakas) had been laid at different locations in the district so as to keep a close eye on suspicious activities. The Punjab Police and paramilitary forces were keeping constant vigil in view of the elections.
Pertinently, the Kapurthala district has four Assembly constituencies of which two – Phagwara and Bholath – fall in the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituency, while Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi are part of the Khadoor Sahib constituency. The district has a total of 6,20,819 voters as on January 22 comprising 3,24,179 male and 2,96,608 female.