All Arrangements Completed for Jubilee Hills Bye-Election at 407 Polling Stations: DEO R V Karnan

Hyderabad: GHMC Commissioner and District Election Officer (DEO) R V Karnan on Friday announced that all arrangements have been completed at 407 polling stations for the Jubilee Hills Assembly Constituency bye-election.

Marking the closure of the nomination process, the DEO, along with Hyderabad Joint Police Commissioner Tafseer Iqbal, addressed a press conference at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Head Office to review the preparedness for the polling scheduled on November 11.

Karnan said that 58 candidates are in the fray, and with the inclusion of NOTA, a total of 59 options will be available to voters. Owing to the large number of candidates, four ballot units will be used at each polling station, making the voting compartment larger than usual, he said.

Also Read: Over 4 Lakh Voters Registered for Jubilee Hills Bye-Election: DEO R V Karnan

The DEO clarified that only the presiding officer, polling personnel, voters, agents, and security staff are allowed inside the polling station. He reminded voters that the voter information slip is not an identity card and is meant only for reference. “Voters must carry one of the 12 photo identity cards recognized by the Election Commission of India,” he emphasized.

Karnan informed that 600 presiding officers, 600 assistant presiding officers, and 1,200 OPOs will be deployed to conduct the election. Extensive SVEEP programs are underway across the constituency to promote voter awareness and participation. Separate queues for women voters and transport facilities for differently-abled voters have also been arranged.

To ensure strict adherence to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the DEO said that 15 Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) and 15 Flying Surveillance Teams (FSTs) are actively monitoring the area.

So far, property worth Rs 2.83 crore being moved in violation of election rules has been seized, and 11 MCC violation cases have been registered. “Social media is also under strict watch, and stern action will be taken against those spreading misinformation or false propaganda,” Karnan warned.

Highlighting the Election Commission’s new voter-friendly initiatives, he said that candidate photographs will be printed in color on the paper slips in the EVM ballot units to help voters identify contestants clearly. Each polling station will have a voter assistance center and a mobile phone deposit counter. Additionally, voter information slips will now feature clearly printed serial and part numbers for easy identification.

Karnan said that the printing of voter information slips has been completed, and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will begin distribution from tomorrow. “Only BLOs are authorized to distribute these slips, and action will be taken against anyone else attempting to do so,” he cautioned.

Speaking on the law and order front, Joint Police Commissioner Tafseer Iqbal said that the police are fully prepared to conduct the elections in a transparent, peaceful, and free atmosphere. He added that paramilitary forces will be deployed at critical polling stations to maintain security.

Additional Commissioner Hemant Keshav Patil, Vigilance ASP Narasimha Reddy, West Zone DCP Srinivas, Special Branch DCP Apoorva Rao, and PRO Dasharatham were also present at the press conference.