Stage is set for LS polls in TS

A record 443 candidates remain in the fray to test their fortunes from 17 Lok Sabha constituencies to which elections are scheduled to be held tomorrow.

The Election Commission has made all arrangements to enable all the 2,97,08,599 electorate to come out and cast their vote in as many as 32,604 polling stations set up across the state.

Around 2.5 lakh work-forces, including the security personnel, who alone form around 70,000, are put in place for smooth conduct of polls.

According to state police, since model code of conduct came into force in March 10, they have seized Rs 37.26 crore cash, over Rs 2 crore of worth of gold, silver, drugs and other freebies, besides Rs 1 crore worth liquor till 4 pm on Tuesday.

The state police have also registered 453 cases, which include 445 MCC violations, whereas during the Assembly polls held in December 2018, around 1,500 cases were booked.

A Command Control Centre (CCC) is also being set up at the state police headquarters to monitor the elections on a shift basis, according to the state additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Jitender.  He said forces from Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand have been drawn for deployment in the state for poll duties.

The top cop said as many as 440 flying squads and 393 state surveillance teams have also been formed to ensure no untoward incident takes place anywhere in the state on polling day.

Of all the constituencies, the police bound to have a tough time in Nizamabad parliament constituencies, where a record 185 candidates remain the fray, of which majority of them belongs to farming community.  Police would not like to leave anything for chance, hence rushed additional forces to prevent any untoward incidents.