LS polls announced: 17 lakh voters to give their mandate from Ludhiana constituency
The model code of conduct came into force on Saturday after the Election Commission of India announced the six-week poll schedule beginning April 19
A total of 17.28 lakh voters from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency will exercise their franchise when Punjab goes to polls in the seventh and last phase of the 2024 general elections.
The model code of conduct came into force on Saturday after the Election Commission of India announced the six-week poll schedule beginning April 19.
Following this, the district election officer-cum-deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney held a meeting, mobilising various departmental teams to ensure seamless preparation and conduct of the electoral process.
According to the DC, the district comprises of a total 14 state legislative assembly constituencies out of which nine, including Ludhiana East, Ludhiana South, Atam Nagar, Ludhiana Central , Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Gill, Dakha and Jagraon falls in Ludhiana parliamentary constituency. The remaining five constituencies, including Khanna, Samrala, Sahnewal, Payal and Raikot fall under the Fatehgarh Sahib constituency.
There are a total of 17.28 lakh electors, including 9.22 lakh male, 8.06 lakh female and 130 third gender, in the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency as on March 1, 2024.
She added that a total of 2,919 polling booths, including 1,842 for the Ludhiana constituency, have been strategically set up across the district to facilitate hassle-free voting.
Sawhney said that to ensure meticulous planning and execution of the electoral process, several teams have been formed under the leadership of competent authorities. These teams include the model code of conduct enforcement team, expenditure monitoring team, electoral ballot paper team, complaints committee/grievances cell, permissions committee, and flying squads team.
Banks asked to provide details of suspicious transactions during elections
Accompanied by additional deputy commissioner-cum-additional DEO Anmol Singh Dhaliwal, Sawhney held a meeting with the bank officers to apprise them about the instructions of the ECI.
She asked them to report unusual and suspicious cash withdrawal or deposit of cash in an account exceeding ₹1 lakh during the election period, without any such instance of deposit or withdrawal during the last two months.
Asking them for strict compliance of the ECI directions, the DEO said that an unusual transfer of amount by RTGS from one bank account to the accounts of several persons in a district/constituency during the poll process without any precedent of such transfer; any deposit of cash or withdrawal of cash exceeding ₹1 lakh from bank account of candidates or spouses or his dependents, as mentioned in the affidavit filed by candidates, which is available in the CEO’s website; any withdrawal of cash and deposit of cash exceeding ₹1 lakh in the account of political parties during the election process besides any other suspicious cash transactions, which might be used for bribing the elections, should be reported, she added.
The district election office has issued strict guidelines for political parties and candidates to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process. These guidelines cover various aspects such as general conduct, meetings, processions, and polling day procedures.
39 checkpoints put up across district
Sawheny said that 39 checkpoints have been put up across the district with the help of Ludhiana commissioner of police, SSP Khanna and SSP Ludhiana Rural to prevent any activities that may violate the model code of conduct. She added that to ensure security and maintain order, additional forces including CRPF and BSF have been deployed across different police districts.
Sawhney said that extensive Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities are being conducted throughout the district to encourage voter participation and enrolment.