All arrangements in place for MC polls tomorrow

The state election commission has made all preparations for the elections to three municipal corporations and 29 councils and nagar panchayats scheduled for December 17. Polling will take place between 8 am and 4 pm.

A spokesman of the commission said polls would be held for 222 wards out of 225 wards of the three corporations, and 327 wards of the 29 councils and panchayats. Candidates in 90 wards have won unopposed. Of these, three candidates belong to the Patiala corporation and 87 to the councils and panchayats.

The spokesman also said that there would be 873 polling stations in the state having 1,938 polling booths. A total of 8,000 election staff and 15,500 police personnel would be deputed. In Amritsar, 413 candidates are in fray in 85 wards. Here, 154 polling stations out of 366 have been declared sensitive while 136 are ‘very sensitive’.

Similarly, out of 554 polling booths in Jalandhar, 344 have been declared sensitive and 31 very sensitive.

The spokesman further said that the commission has also ordered videography in all the polling stations declared very sensitive. As per the orders issued in respect of counting of votes, when the process would be completed and the ballot paper prepared, then only the returning officer of the ward concerned would order counting.