Thiruvananthapuram Marc, h 24
The office of the Election Commission of India has received a total of 2,125 nomination papers from 1,254 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar said on Tuesday.
Kerala goes to the polls on April 9 to elect 140 new legislators.
Kelkar said scrutiny of nominations is underway, followed by the withdrawal window.
"The final list of valid candidates will be published thereafter, and ballot printing will be completed within the next two weeks," he said.
Highlighting poll preparedness, Kelkar noted that 1.75 lakh polling personnel have undergone randomisation and training.
In a first, the Commission has introduced online training modules with certification, supplementing physical sessions.
Special focus has been placed on postal voting, particularly for voters aged above 85 and persons with over 40 per cent disability.
Micro observers will accompany teams to ensure transparency, with political party representatives present during the process.
Essential service personnel have also been included under the postal ballot facility.
To maintain law and order, 145 companies of CAPF, including Central Reserve Police Force units, are being deployed, with 30 companies already on the ground conducting area domination and vulnerability assessments.
Kerala will have 30,471 polling stations, all under enhanced surveillance.
The total electorate stands at 2.71 crore, including 273 third-gender voters, while the number of service voters is 53,984.
Kelkar said strict enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct is underway, with surveillance teams, flying squads, and check-posts actively monitoring violations.
On the controversy surrounding the appearance of a BJP Kerala unit seal on an official communication, Kelkar termed it a "serious lapse."
He clarified that a document mistakenly circulated by a political party representative contained the party seal.
"The error was identified immediately, the communication withdrawn, and a corrected version issued. Disciplinary action has been initiated, including suspension, pending inquiry," he said.
He urged the public to avoid misinformation and rely on official clarifications.
- IANS
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