 "voting polls evm machine")
A total of 4.97 crore voters, including 12.20 lakh first-time electors, will be able to exercise their franchise in Lok Sabha elections and bypolls to five assembly seats in Gujarat on May 7, Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi said on Tuesday.
As per the final list of candidates published on April 22, a total of 266 candidates are in the fray for the general elections and 24 for the bypolls. BJP candidate for Surat Lok Sabha seat has been declared an uncontested winner.
Out of a total of 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, polling will be held for 25 constituencies on May 7.
As per the final electoral roll, a total of 4,97,68,677 voters are expected to cast their votes in these elections. Among them, there are 12,20,438 voters in the age group of 18-19 years who will be exercising their right to vote for the first time, Bharathi told media persons.
"EPIC (voter) cards have been distributed to all the citizens who applied for it by March 15, 2024, and the print of e-EPIC will also be accepted as a proof of identity in case EPIC is not available," she said.
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As per the January 5, 2024 electoral roll, a total of 4,94,49,469 voters were registered in Gujarat. Subsequently, 3,19,209 voters are in the supplementary electoral roll based on the applications received for voter registration until April 9, the CEO said.
Out of 4,97,68,677 voters in the final list, 2,56,16,540 are men, 2,41,50,603 women, and 1,534 are third-gender voters, she said.
"The upcoming elections in the state are expected to witness significant participation from young voters, with a total of 1,16,06,188 voters between the age group of 18 to 29 set to exercise their franchise," Bharathi said.
Additionally, the state has a considerable number of senior citizen voters, with 4,19,584 individuals aged 85 years and above.
The number of centenarian voters aged 100 years or above is 10,036 who are eligible to participate in the electoral process. Additionally, 3,75,673 electors have been identified as Divyang voters, the top poll officer said.
Director General of Police (Law & Order) Shamsher Singh said 133 checkposts have been set up to seal borders with the neighbouring states where body-worn cameras and CCTVs are installed.
"Seizures of articles of Rs 42 crore have been made so far, including liquor valued at Rs 14 crore," he said, adding that police have taken preventive action against 3 lakh people.
In terms of constituency-wise demographics, Navsari holds the distinction of being the largest Lok Sabha constituency in Gujarat with 22,23,550 registered voters. At 17,23,353, Bharuch seat has the lowest number of registered voters, Bharathi added.
A total of 27,555 service voters are also expected to exercise their franchise, and a total of 900 voters living abroad are registered.
"The second randomisation of EVMs will be conducted by April 27 in the presence of a general observer appointed by the Election Commission, and a third randomisation of polling staff will be conducted on May 5," the CEO said.
More than 3 lakh voters were registered after intensive voter awareness programmes were organised for the upcoming elections.
A total of 433 candidates had filed their nominations for the general elections to 26 seats, out of which nomination papers of 105 candidates were rejected. By the last withdrawal date on April 22, 62 candidates had withdrawn their nominations.
Consequently, the total number of contesting candidates for the Lok Sabha elections is 266. Among them, 247 are male and 19 female candidates, Bharathi said.
A total of 37 candidates had filed the nomination papers for bypolls to five seats. The nominations of 10 candidates were rejected during scrutiny whereas three others withdrew their nominations, leaving 24 candidates in the fray.
The byelections will be held for Vijapur, Porbandar, Manavadar, Khambhat and Vaghodia assembly constituencies, which fell vacant after the resignation of sitting MLAs between December 2023 and March 2024. They subsequently joined the BJP.
A total of 22,707 voters, including 18,490 senior citizens aged 85 years and above, and 4,211 Divyang voters with a disability of 40 per cent or more have applied for voting from home under the absentee voters category, the CEO said.
The Election Commission has organised various programmes to increase the participation of all sections of voters and to encourage the maximum number of voters to cast their votes in the Lok Sabha elections.
A special voter awareness campaign will be held for 15 days from April 22 to May 6, targeting young voters, women, and individuals employed in industries, the CEO said.
Flash mobs for voting awareness will be organised at various district-level locations like malls, food courts, and gardens, where large crowds gather.
Additionally, a 'Run for Vote' drive is planned for May 5, across the state as part of the voting awareness campaign.
Poll expenditure monitoring efforts have led to the seizure of articles worth over Rs 121.65 crore, including Rs 7.89 crore cash, liquor, gold and silver, prohibited intoxicants, and other miscellaneous articles.
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