Mysore/Mysuru: Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra has instructed officers on election duty to take training seriously and implement every point for a successful election on May 10.

He addressed the participants at a two-day training programme for the Presiding Officers and Polling Officers-1 of Chamaraja Assembly Constituency, held at Baden Powell School behind the DC’s office in the city this morning.

Dr. Rajendra, who is also the District Election Officer (DEO), gave a strong message to the trainees, stating that “If you sweat more in the practice field, you will breathe less in the battle field.”

He emphasised that every word spoken during the training session is crucial, and officers should aim for a score of 100 out of 100 instead of just passing marks. He also underlined the importance of handling Electronic Voting Machine (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines meticulously, and conducting mock polling before proceeding with the actual process.

He urged all participants to cooperate to ensure successful completion of the elections, as observers will be monitoring every step closely. The training programme includes a demonstration on operating EVMs and is being conducted in 18 rooms at Baden Powell School, with 30 officers attending the training in each room. In addition to DC Dr. Rajendra, City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth and MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, who is also the Returning Officer for Chamaraja Assembly Constituency, were present at the training programme.

The training is taking place in the premises of the strong rooms of respective Constituencies, which also serve as mustering centres. These centres will allocate election-related materials on the eve (May 9) of the elections.

The Master Trainers and Sector Officers are the resource persons for the training session in every Constituency, which will be conducted from 9.30 am to 5 pm.

The training for Officers deputed for Krishnaraja Assembly Constituency took place at Maharaja’s College, near Ramaswamy Circle, and for Chamundeshwari Assembly Constituency at St. Joseph’s School, Jayalakshmipuram on Hunsur road.

The training for Narasimharaja Constituency will take place tomorrow (Apr. 23) at JSS Arts, Commerce and Science College on Ooty road in the city. The training is being conducted for all the 11 Assembly Constituencies in Mysuru district.