IDPs to vote at special polling stations
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 01 2024:
The Election Commission of India has notified a "Scheme for Internally Displaced Persons of Manipur to vote at Relief Camps" with respect to the Lok Sabha election 2024 .
As per the scheme, internally displaced electors shall be provided with the facility to vote at 'special polling stations' to be set up in relief camps.
All displaced persons who had to leave their native places during the conflict shall continue to be borne on the electoral rolls of the assembly and parliamentary constituencies concerned in the State of Manipur.
To operationalise the scheme, an Additional Deputy Commissioner or an officer of equivalent rank or SDO (of the district in which internally displaced persons referred to as specified voters are staying) may be designated as Assistant Returning Officer for each district.
The maximum number of voters at each special polling station would be 1200 .
If at any polling station, the number of voters exceeds 1200, then more than one booth may be provided at the same special polling station location with equitable distribution of electors for convenience, according to the scheme.
It said that special polling stations shall be notified for a cluster of relief camps with a specific special polling station earmarked for a group of relief camps.
The poll in the special polling stations shall be conducted by using separate EVMs for each parliamentary constituency ( and separate EVMs for each assembly constituency in case of State Legislative Assembly election), and all rules and instructions applicable to the conduct of poll at the original polling stations will apply at these special polling stations also.