GHMC chief bans exit polls

GHMC Commissioner & Election Authority Dr B Janardhan Reddy said that the campaign for GHMC elections has come to end at 5 PM on Sunday  and no person shall publish or publicise by means of print and electronic media or disseminate in any other manner, whatsoever, the result of any opinion poll and exit poll during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll for any election in that polling area, as may be notified by the State Election Commission.

Any person who contravenes the above provision shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years or with fine or with both under subsection (2) of section 600 of GHMC Act. The Election Authority said that basic minimum facilities, like drinking water, toilets, ramps for physically challenged people have been provided at all the polling stations in all the 150 divisions. 

For each polling station there



will be a polling party with one Presiding Officer, one Assistant Presiding Officer and three other polling officers. Dr Janardhan Reddy also visited at Muffakamjah College, Road No.2, Banjara Hills, one of the distribution, reception and counting centre and inspected the EVMs and the materials which are to be distributed to the Presiding Officers for performing the election duties. 

He said that this is the first time that GHMC has arranged ward-wise tables at the distribution centre for the convenience of the Presiding Officers to take the polling material without any commotion and also return the polling material after the poll in a very systematic way. The Election Authority said that there are around 7,802 polling centres. 

For counting, which is going to be held on February 5, the GHMC has arranged 24 counting centres with 893 tables where 3,200 staff have been deployed for counting purpose.