Maharashtra Assembly polls: Don't miss your chance to vote, enlist by October 19

Want to vote for the Maharashtra Assembly election but not on the voters list yet You can still enlist on the electoral roll before the pollsMumbai Election Officer and Civic Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani while speaking on the poll preparedness for the Maharashtra Assembly election said that citizens can register themselves on the voters list for upcoming polls by Saturday October 19 For more information citizens can visit the Chief Electoral Office Maharashtra website httpsvotersecigovin pictwittercom44opS2t0Ffmdash ChiefElectoralOffice CEO_Maharashtra October 16 2024Gagrani further informed that mobile phones are not allowed in polling boothsMeanwhile a top poll officer said on Wednesday that Maharashtra has seen a remarkable increase of nearly 70 lakh registered voters since the 2019 assembly electionsThis surge comes ahead of the upcoming assembly elections scheduled for November 20 and counting on November 23There were 89446211 voters in Maharashtra ahead of the 2019 assembly elections After the special enrollment drives conducted by the election commission the number has increased to 96369410 a rise of 6923199 said Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S ChockalingamThe Electoral Officer stated that a polling booth generally has 1500 voters but additional booths would be set up speaking to reporters in Mumbai only a day after the election schedule was announcedThe number of polling booths has risen from 96654 in 2019 Assembly elections to 100186 for the upcoming elections Chockalingam informedThere are 636278 registered voters with physical disabilities while 116355 voters are from the armed forces Notably there are 2093206 firsttime voters aged between 18 and 19Among the 1243192 voters over the age of 85 there are 47716 centenarians said ChockalingamTo facilitate the voting process nearly six lakh state government employees will assist with election operations the officer informedEach polling booth will have four tables to accommodate voters efficiently We have issued instructions that three to four voters can be present inside During the Lok Sabha elections some officials allowed only one person inside at a time which resulted in delays in voting he addedChockalingam also addressed concerns regarding the use of controversial terms like vote jihad which have been criticised for their communal implications He stated The model code of conduct has come into force yesterday If some leaders tend to use it such terms we will not spare anyone If we receive any complaint we will check it within the legal framework and submit our report accordinglyThis discussion follows comments made by BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding vote jihad as a factor in the BJPs performance during the Lok Sabha pollsOut of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra 14 seats witnessed vote jihad Hindu religion never disrespected other faiths tolerance is in our blood I call for the need to awaken Hindutva if someone is voting for electing antiHindu leaders to top posts he had said at a public event in Kolhapur