Shillong, Nov 5: Meghalaya has started preparations for the Shillong Lok Sabha by-election, with the Election Department starting various activities, including the inspection of electronic voting machines (EVMs), the identification of election workers, the assessment of requirements related to security and safety.
After the release of the final list of voters through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), it is expected that the Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the date and time of the by-election, after which the state government will start the election process.
Today Meghalaya’s Chief Secretary, Shakil P Ahammed, held a review meeting at the Main Secretariat to look into the status and provision of assured minimum facilities (AMFs) at all polling stations.
Meghalaya’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), BDR Tiwari, said the state is ready to hold elections any time the ECI announces the date.
The Shillong parliamentary constituency comprises nine districts and has a total of 2,336 polling stations.
“The mandate is that those polling stations have proper network connectivity as there will be webcasting and other monitoring so we require network connectivity,” the CEO said.
He also said that the Election Department has to ensure there is proper drinking water, toilet facilities, road infrastructure and electricity so that there is no inconvenience to the people at the polling station.
