Telangana Elections: ECI keeps watch, all vehicles shifting EVMs to be tracked on GPS

Vikas Raj, the Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana, while addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Thursday announced that, for the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled for November 30, all vehicles responsible for transporting Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be outfitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. This measure aims to guarantee compliance with designated routes and enhance transparency throughout the transportation process.

ECI on Telangana

The CEO also said that around 40,000 Telangana police and another 25,000 from neighboring states are on election duty. In addition, 300 companies of central police forces are being deployed in various places as an additional precaution in locations with more than one polling station, he said. 

“Traditionally, Telangana elections are peaceful. We have the situation under control. People can come to vote without fear,” said Vikas Raj. 

So far, police have booked 10,106 FIRs regarding liquor, drug and cash seizures and around 777 FIRs related to Model Code of Conduct violations, this highlights the seriousness of enforcing electoral integrity.

“Every constituency will have a distribution and reception centre. Polling parties will start moving there as per schedule,” the CEO said, adding that vehicles carrying EVMs would have GPS and they would be tracked all along the way.

It’s important to note that, for the first time in the state, the count of female voters is set to surpass that of their male counterparts. Among the total 3,26,02,799 voters, women voters stand at 1,63,01,705, outpacing the 1,62,98,418 male voters. Furthermore, there are 2,676 voters who identify as transgender.

A workforce of 3 lakh personnel has been assigned poll duty across the state, ensuring the operation of over 35,655 polling stations on November 30. 

The voting process will employ almost 60,000 ballot units to accommodate the significant number of candidates contesting in the elections.

To enhance voter engagement, electoral authorities have focused on distributing more than 9.99 lakh EPIC cards, with a particular emphasis on young voters aged between 18 and 19 years. Voter Information Slips and guides have already been dispatched to 85%-86% of voters, and the remaining distribution is anticipated to be finalized shortly.

TELANGANA DATA: ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS-2023 ELECTORS AT A GLANCE