Tirupati: As part of the pre-election scrutiny, Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena on Friday inspected the poll preparedness in Tirupati district.
Meena inaugurated a ‘Selfie Point’ set up as part of the SVEEP voter awareness programme at the Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam here. He also administered an oath to students at the university’s engineering college, affirming that they would exercise their franchise and “let democracy win.”
Accompanied by district collector Pravin, SP Patel and other officials, Meena took a photo at the Selfie Point and inspected the strong room and counting centre arrangements. He promised to ensure peaceful, impartial and transparent polls. “Violations of the code of conduct will be dealt with strictly,” he warned.
The fourth phase of polls in AP will be notified on April 18, with nominations concluding on the 25th and voting on May 13. Pre-poll inspections are ongoing to assess the preparedness of district officials, flying squads, control rooms and grievance redressal mechanisms.
Meena appealed to all eligible citizens aged 18 and above to enroll as voters. He claimed that awareness campaigns have increased the number of new voters from 3 lakhs to 10 lakhs. He warned against inducements by political parties to influence voters’ decisions.
On allegations of unauthorized downloading of 35,000 EPIC cards, Meena said action has been taken against officials from the IAS level downwards, and that an investigation was on
He cautioned political parties against making religion-based appeals, unverified allegations, or statements jeopardizing national security, emphasizing they must adhere strictly to all norms governing poll conduct.
Meena said notices have been issued to chief minister and opposition leader, saying strict action will be taken against anyone violating the code of conduct, regardless of position. More employees have been suspended for poll code violations this time than ever before, he added.
