LS polls first phase: Campaign to draw to a close in Telangana at 5 pm

Barring Nizamabad and few places in Telangana, campaigning by political parties for the first phase of April 11 Lok Sabha polls will come to an end by 5 pm on April 9. Campaigning in Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, where 185 candidates are in the fray, will end at 6 pm and in 13 extremists-affected assembly seats covering five districts will end at 4 pm on Tuesday (April 9), Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar told. There will be prohibition on transmission of unauthorised bulk SMSs during the period of 48 hours ending with the hours fixed for conclusion of election, he said.

He also said there would be ban on sale of liquor till the polls are over. “No person holds or attends, joins or addresses any public meeting or procession in connection with elections and displays to the public any election matter by means of cinematograph, television or other similar apparatus is banned from the prescribed time,” the CEO said.

Over 2.97 crore voters, including 1504 transgenders, will exercise their franchise on April 11 for 17 parliamentary constituencies in Telangana. Rajat Kumar said political functionaries or party workers or campaign functionaries,among others,who have been brought from outside and are not electors of the constituency should not remain in the constituency.

Pre-certification of political advertisements in the print media on the day of election and one day prior to poll is required. “The content of the political advertisements need to get pre-certified by MCMC (Media Certification and Monitoring Committee) committee at the State/District level,”he said. The Election Commission fixed poll timing for Nizamabad from 8 am to 6 pm in view of large number of nominations and 7 am to 4 pm for extremists-affected polling stations while it is 7 am to 5 pm for the rest.

Telangana has 34,604 polling stations. Rajat Kumar said till April 7, poll officials and police seized unaccounted cash and goods worth ₹52.52 crore during searches after the model code of conduct was implemented.