Live coverage of polling in Kadapa: CEO

Efforts were on to conduct free and fair elections in Kadapa district where nine candidates have filed for Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and two for Pulivendula Assembly constituency as on Friday, said Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal.

For the first time, live telecast will be facilitated to oversee who is voting and where, on the day of polling.

All the 1500 police stations in the district will be under live telecast. Such is the arrangement this time in view of controversy generated, the CEO stated.

Normally the ECI deputes one or two observers but this time it sent six observers to the district. The Chief Electoral Officer told media persons at the Secretariat on Friday that he had written to the ECI on the need to deploy the forces in the district after giving a clear picture and sending an estimation report.

Besides, the Income Tax authorities also stepped in to check the flow of illegal money and a senior IT officer S C Kanojia from Gujarat would camp in the district to monitor the situation, Mr Bhanwar Lal revealed.

Locally R Mohan Kumar, Deputy Director, Income Tax, Investigation (Mobile Number 9550255264) accompanied by his Deputy M Murali Mohan (Cell No 8985970149) will also camp in the district. Their mobile numbers were provided to facilitate the voters to lodge complaints.

Besides, Shashi Bhushan Kumar, Kadapa district Collector and Joint K Nirmala have been appointed as Returning Officers for Kadapa. For Pulivendula Assembly seat, six Assistant Returning Officers have been appointed.

The IT department has designated the officers for informing of any large scale cash movement or cash distribution by any political party or individuals. For Lok Sabha constituency Rs 40 lakh expenditure was allowed while for Assembly segment Rs 16 lakh was allowed.

 So far 7,799 persons have been bound over, and 111 cases booked against illegal sale of liquor and Rs 11,15,36,000 unaccounted cash seized.

The CEO said that the seized amount had been deposited with the government account and had written to the higher ups for investigating into the seven cases in which the amount was seized.

A total of 1240 licensed arms have been deposited or impounded and 28 gelatine sticks and four bombs were also seized.

Mr Bhanwar Lal also said that the specific procedure will take care as the nomination process is on.

Earlier, YS Jaganmohan Reddy of the YSR Congress Party, filed his papers for Kadapa seat while Jagan Mohan Reddy Chilekampally, Jajula Bhaskar, Jagan Mohan Reddy Chintha, Vitta Subba Rao, Dr K Padmarajan, Srinivasula Reddy Rajula and Pnubala Vijaya Kumar have also filed papers as independents for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat.

For Pulivendula Assembly seat seat, P G Vijaya Lakshmi and O Vijayalakshmi filed papers as independents.