E-Paper
Punjab assembly polls: Six constituencies to have double voting machines
Election Commission of India (ECI) had to make arrangements for double voting units (electronic voting machines) in six constituencies for February 20 Punjab assembly polls
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had to make arrangements for double voting units (electronic voting machines) in six constituencies for February 20 Punjab assembly polls.
In the constituencies, Sahnewal and Patiala-Rural have the highest number of candidates, 19 each in the fray, which is followed by Payal (18). Kharar, Ludhiana-South, and Patiala have 17 candidates each in the poll fray. The number of candidates in these constituencies has surpassed the number of 15 available options on each machine. At Patiala, former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who now heads the Punjab Lok Congress, is one of the candidates.
A total of 1,304 candidates are in the fray for the upcoming state elections. A total of 2,266 candidates have filed nomination papers from 117 constituencies. However, in the scrutiny, 33 were rejected and 829 candidates withdrew their candidature.
Pathankot and Amritsar-Central have the least number of six candidates each in the fray. Lambi, which has Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal in the fray for the 11th time, has seven candidates. There are 85 constituencies that have candidates in double-digit.
Each voting unit, according to the chief electoral officer (CEO), S Karuna Raju, has 16 options to choose from, including a NOTA button. “In case there are more than 15 candidates in the fray, an additional machine is required,” he said, adding that an EVM has a control unit, ballot unit and voters’ verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine.
Ludhiana, which has the highest number of 14 assembly constituencies, has a total of 165 candidates in the fray. It is followed by Patiala, which has eight seats with a total of 102 candidates in the fray, and Jalandhar has nine constituencies with 94 candidates.
Nawanshahr, which has three constituencies, has the least number of 26 candidates. It is followed by newly carved Malerkotla, which has two constituencies, and 27 candidates in the poll fray.
Steady increase in total candidates
The number of candidates in the poll fray has seen a steady rise over the past five state assembly polls. In 1997 there were 693 candidates, in 2002 (923), in 2007 (1,043), 2012 (1,078) and 2017 (1,145).
826 independents in fray
There are 117 candidates fielded each by the Congress, AAP, SAD-BSP and the BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) in the poll fray. The Sanyukt Sangharsh Party (SSP), which has fielded 10 candidates, is also a registered party. However, its alliance partner, Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), which had fielded 91 candidates, is contesting as independents. There is a total of 478 candidates fielded by the registered parties and the rest 826 are contesting as independents.
