2024 Lok Sabha poll to see more polling stations in Assam

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Even after a constituency delimitation exercise, the 2024 Lok Sabha election will see an increase in the number of polling stations in Assam, where the number of HPCs (House of People Constituencies) will remain the same.

The state will have 14 HPCs (House of People Constituencies) and 126 LACs (Legislative Assembly Constituencies) after the delimitation exercise, as mentioned in the Election Commission of India's draft proposals.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed its chief electoral officers (CEOs) to rationalize the number of polling stations in the states as part of the special summary revision (SSR) of the photo electoral roll for 2024. The ECI has also said that no polling station should have more than 1,500 electors.

According to sources in the State Election Department, the state has around 600 polling stations that have more than 1,500 electors. This will necessitate the rationalization of polling stations. The exact number of polling stations exceeding 1,500 voters will be known only after the publication of the final structure of parliamentary and assembly constituencies after the ongoing delimitation exercise.

The state has 28,205 polling stations at present, and the highest number of polling stations is 412 in the Dispur LAC. The ECI has issued guidelines recently on how the polling stations will be rationalized.

According to the guidelines, (i) the activity of rationalizing polling stations is done after 100 percent physical verification of the polling station locations and the relevant parts of the electoral rolls. The Booth Level Officer (BLO) will upload photos and location information of the polling station, along with data like latitude and longitude of the centre, from their registered mobile number on the GARUDA App.

(ii) The physical verification of the polling station locations shall be conducted in such a manner that it can be assessed as to whether the building is in proper condition and whether it meets the other parameters set by the Commission for the smooth conduct of the poll. A senior officer should be designated by the District Election Officer to perform the work of physical verification.

(iii) New polling stations shall be created only after rationalizing the sections to the nearest polling stations to the maximum extent possible.

Other objectives of rationalizing polling stations are to group all the family members and neighbours in a section and maintain uniformity of addresses in the electoral roll and EPICs (Electors Photo Identity Cards).

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