Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena has announced that 5,26,010 officials and staff have been mobilised for diverse polling duties across the state in preparation for the upcoming elections. Among these, 330,000 individuals are assigned to poll duties, with 10,134 serving as sector officers/sector police officers, 18,961 acting as micro observers, 46,165 as Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 114,000 as police personnel, and 6,750 as Nodal officers & other teams. Addressing the media during a session on Thursday evening, CEO Meena disclosed that 12,459 critical polling stations have been identified for special attention, with plans for webcasting in approximately 30,111 polling stations, encompassing the aforementioned critical stations.
Furthermore, Meena reported substantial seizures during the period from March 16 to April 17, including Rs 1731.75 lakh in cash, liquor valued at Rs 1571 lakh (5.59 lakh litres), drugs weighing 80,60,431 grams valued at Rs 261 lakh, precious metals totalling 13,44,431 grams valued at Rs 5917 lakh, freebies worth Rs 1061 lakh, and other items amounting to Rs 1016 lakh. Regarding polling hours, constituencies vary: Palakonda, Kurapam, and Saluru will operate from 7 am to 5 pm, while Araku, Paderu, and Rampachodavaram will see polling from 7 am to 4 pm. In the remaining 169 Assembly Constituencies, polling will be conducted from 7 am to 6 pm.
Meena also outlined the expenditure limits for candidates, set at Rs 95.00 lakh for Parliamentary Constituencies and Rs 40.00 lakh for Assembly Constituencies.
In terms of disciplinary actions and enforcement, Meena noted the removal of 1017 volunteers, with 86 facing filed cases, and 44,163 resignations. Additionally, 181 contract employees were removed, 40 facing cases, and disciplinary action was taken against 127 regular employees, with 59 suspensions and 27 filed cases.
A total of 338 FIRs have been filed against political party leaders, including 126 against TDP, 136 against YSRCP, and 76 against others, with a total of 968 complaints received from political parties.
To combat illegal liquor storage and distribution during the election period, CEO Meena detailed measures such as webcasting the movement of liquor from distilleries/breweries, GPS tracking of all vehicles transporting liquor, and other efforts to prevent leakage during transportation.
