15.77 lakh eligible voters, including 26,426 new ones, in Dharwad district

Dharwad district has 15,77 lakh voters, including 26,426 fresh ones, and all necessary steps are being taken for ensuring free and fair elections, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad and Returning Officer Gurudatta Hegde told presspersons in Dharwad on Wednesday.

Dharwad district has 15,77 lakh voters, including 26,426 fresh ones, and all necessary steps are being taken for ensuring free and fair elections, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad and Returning Officer Gurudatta Hegde has said.

Addressing presspersons in Dharwad on Wednesday, Mr. Hegde said that as the model code of conduct has come into force with immediate effect, all requisite steps are being taken to ensure strict adherence to it and hold the elections in a transparent manner.

As per the election calendar announced by Election Commission of India (ECI), the process of filing nomination papers will start on April 13. And, April 20 is the last date for filing of nomination papers.

Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on April 21 and candidates will have time till April 24 to withdraw their nomination papers. Polling will take place on May 10 and the counting of votes on May 13 at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad.

Of the total of 15.77 lakh eligible voters in Dharwad district, there are 7.57 lakh male and 7.49 lakh female voters, Mr. Hegde said. He said that in 2018, there were 16,902 fresh voters and during this Assembly elections, it has increased to 26,426.

“The district also has 21,036 physically challenged voters and 32,301 voters above the age of 80. And, there are 400 centenarians. As per ECI guidelines, all voters above the age of 80 will have the facility to exercise their franchise from their houses,” he said.

In all, 1,636 polling stations, 944 in urban pockets and 692 in rural areas, will be set up in the district. Of these, 216 polling booths have been declared as sensitive and 162 as vulnerable.