‘No spurt in virus cases in Mysuru; Medical teams, officials ready to tackle situation’

By S.B. Devaraj

Mysore/Mysuru: Taking a serious note of the involvement of children under the age of 18 years in the Assembly election campaigns, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr. K.V. Rajendra, who is also the District Electoral Officer, said that strict action will be taken against the candidates and parties as per rules if any child was found campaigning.

“Time and again, we have made it clear that those who are under 18 years of age are not allowed to take part in electoral activities. But there are reports from the ground that minors are being used by political parties for election campaigns. This is against law,” Dr. Rajendra said in an exclusive interview with Mysuru Mithra, the sister concern of Star of Mysore.

“Legal action will be taken against candidates or political parties who are found making use of children for election purposes including canvassing. During previous elections, there were complaints about kids being used to distributing pamphlets. Using kids for election campaigns is a violation of child rights. If they do so, the parties and event organisers will be held accountable. In some cases, T-shirts and caps are distributed without any restrictions, making it more likely for youths to get involved. In such cases, action will be taken against the organisers,” Dr. Rajendra said.

On the general preparations for elections, the DC said that the District Administration has completed preparations at all levels. “We are fully equipped with arrangements such as polling booths, voter lists, deployment of polling officials, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), check-posts, security, Constituency-wise mustering and de-mustering venues, and counting centres,” he added.

On the measures that have been taken to check election-related irregularities, the DC said that a total of 53 check-posts have been opened, including within the Commissionerate and District Police limits.

Rs. 3.7 cr. worth of seizures

“So far, over Rs. 1.2 crore in unaccounted cash, articles worth over Rs. 2.5 crore and liquor, have been seized. Strict vigilance is being maintained to check irregularities, but public participation is crucial. People should cooperate with the District Administration. Any complaints can be raised through cVIGIL app, and swift action will be taken through Flying Squad and Sector Officer,” he said.

The District Administration has identified critical and vulnerable polling stations where additional security measures will be put in place to prevent any untoward incidents. The deployment of security personnel, both from the State and Central forces, has been increased in these areas, DC Dr. Rajendra said.

“We have also taken steps to ensure that polling booths are accessible to all voters, including those with disabilities. Additionally, we have launched several awareness campaigns to educate voters on the importance of their vote, and the need to exercise it responsibly. We urge all citizens to cooperate with us in our efforts to ensure a peaceful and successful election,” the DC added.

Improving voting percentage

On any improvement in the urban voting percentage, the District Electoral Officer said that most urban voters may not be aware of the polling booth where they are entitled to cast their vote. Additionally, due to the unavailability of leaves, several voters skip the democratic process.

“This time, we are involving the heads of respective companies and institutions to convince the staff to vote and create awareness. It will be a paid holiday on the voting day of May 10. It is a festival of democracy and everybody should compulsorily vote. We have made polling booths attractive in areas where low percentages of voting were recorded,” the DC explained.

COVID spread

On the fear of COVID-19 spreading during elections, the DC clarified that there is no spurt in virus cases in Mysuru district. “Medical teams and officials are ready to tackle the situation. There is no serious situation as such, with only 25 to 30 active cases reported. We are closely monitoring the situation and will ensure that all necessary precautions are taken,” he added.