Vehicles in MP ferrying EVMs, poll staff to have GPS systems

The Madhya Pradesh election office will install GPS systems on more than 20,000 vehicles to be deployed for transporting Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and polling staff, an official said Monday.

This is being done on directives of the Election Commission.

"As per directives of the Election Commission, GPS systems will be installed on vehicles to be deployed for transporting EVMs and polling staff to keep a watch on them," state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V L Kantha Rao told reporters here.

More than 20,000 vehicles are likely to be deployed for poll duty in the state, which will have four-phase polling for its 29 Lok Sabha seats.

A workshop was organised Monday to apprise poll officials about the installation of GPS systems and their working on vehicles to be used for election duty, he said.

Meanwhile, preparations are on for holding the first phase of polling on April 29, an official said.

The first phase will cover six Lok Sabha seats and also the assembly bypoll in Chhindwara from where Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath is contesting his maiden Vidhan Sabha election.

The Lok Sabha seats which will vote in the first phase are Chhindwara, Sidhi, Shahdol, Mandla, Jabalpur and Balaghat.

Two ballot units will be installed at Sidhi, Jabalpur and Balaghat - the seats where there are more than 16 candidates, the official added.