Heavy security for Huzurabad bypoll

Elaborate arrangements have been made for Huzurabad assembly constituency bypolls scheduled to be held on Saturday. In the wake of Covid pandemic, the Election Commission issued a special covid protocol where in covid positive voters would be allowed to cast votes.

Authorities set up 306 polling stations in Veenavanka, Jammikunta, Illandakunta, Huzurabad and Kamalapur mandals and Jammikunta and Huzurabad municipalities covering 2,37,036 electors in the segment. Of that 1,17,933 are male and 1,19,102 are female. While 149 candidates are recorded as service voters, 14 are overseas electors. Only one voter is recorded in the other category.

A total of 306 EVMs are going to be utilised for the polling. Some 306 control units, 612 ballot units and 306 VVPATs will be utilised. Meanwhile, 115 control units, 279 ballot units and 209 VVPATs will be kept in reserve to use them in emergency. Election authorities have stored EVMs and other polling material in the distribution center established in Government Junior College, Huzurabad. 

On Friday, polling staff will collect EVMs and other polling material from the distribution center and reach the polling stations allocated to them by the evening.

After completion of the election on Saturday, they will submit EVMs and other polling material at the reception center arranged in SRR Government



Degree and PG College, Karimnagar. EVMs will be stored in a strong room established in the first floor of SRR College. Authorities have also made arrangements for counting in SRR College and counting is scheduled on November 2.

In the wake of the Covid pandemic, polling timing has also extended and voters can exercise their franchise from 7 am to 7 pm. Even Covid-positive patients can also exercise vote in the evening times by following Covid norms. Election authorities have also arranged PPE kits at every polling station. Declaring it as a dry day from Thursday evening to Saturday, wine shops, bars and restaurants have been closed.

On the other hand, police officials made tight security arrangements to conduct elections in a peaceful manner. Since the Huzurabad by-poll grabs the attention of the entire nation, EC deployed 20 companies of central forces to make polling incident-free. 

Besides 20 companies of central forces, two companies of State forces are also deployed. In addition to that 2,000 police personnel including Additional DCPs-2, ACPs-15, CIs-65, and SIs-180 are also engaged in polling security duties.

In the wake of the election, police have already established 10 check posts in different places of the constituency, ten flying squads, 5 MCC and 10 VST teams.