Meghalaya: Four candidates including one independent files nominations for Tura constituency.

Four candidates including one independent filed nominations for the Tura Constituency. The security and surveillance have been beefed up in the state as well as in the Garo Hills to ensure fair elections.

Regarding the security and all in the 2-Tura (SC) PAC, RO of the West Garo Hills District Jagdish Chelani said, "The primary security in this entire election which we seek is regarding the EVMs.  EVMs have a protocol for the three-tier security setup which is again provided with an inner round, a middle ground, and the outer ring through the CAPF and armed police and then the state police." 

RO Chelani also added, "We have shifted the strong room from the district headquarters to ISBT and it's already been earmarked. We've already sent reports for the necessary protocol to the CEO's office and to the ECI. We have already earmarked a separate strong room for all different leisure constituencies which we utilized during this Talk Sabha elections, along with designated counting rooms, designated dispatch, and receiving centers. So all of that planning has already been completed. Now, with each stage of work with specific timelines, we'll be excluding these works once and for all. So preparation of this sort has been ongoing for the last two months, and we are now in the stage of implementation of these plans as we speak."

He also added, "Apart from the EVM security, we have FSCs and SSTs which are manning different areas. We have overall 67 police nakas which are co-paternally manned, along with the SST teams in 40 of these locations in rotation. Apart from this, 33 FST teams are appointed at different locations across the district and are stationed there throughout this period of election. The idea is that whenever a complaint is received from any public, from any candidate, or through internal sources, we have an FST team that is ready to intercept this complaint within half an hour of time through the aspects. In addition, we have three companies of BSF who have come from outside. We also have more companies of the CAPFs and other ARMED POLICE branches who will be coming to the district in order to manage different polling stations. As of now, we have around 71 element polling stations which have four critical polling stations as well. Our district is well prepared now and I am sure we have very smooth, much definitely violence within this Lok Sabha elections." 

While asking about the protocols during the election, RO Chelani emphasized, "The very purpose of these police nakas, the SST teams, and the FSC teams is to check on undue influence on voters. This includes your freebies, liquor, money, and any kind of aid that can be taken as influence over the voters. All of this is part and parcel of the duties that these teams will be fulfilling. At every checkpoint, there is a limit set by the ECI of Rs 50,000. If somebody is carrying more than Rs 50,000, they are subsequently intercepted by the FSC teams and submission is made at the treasury based on due receipt of that amount. Then the amount can be released or confiscated by the district administration. For the liquor, we have excise teams which are regularly now doing night raids, and night patrolling with police teams as well who are keeping track of all the movement of liquor which is within the district, both legal, and whichever is found. And if there is any discovery of illegal liquor or illicit liquor in the district then that is subsequently confiscated and destroyed as per protocol. If there are any bank transactions which are above ten lakh rupees the IT income tax team is also on the ground now in the district which will be informed and reported to and they will take action on that regarding drugs. Again, under ndps we have a very specific protocol. Again, the team after interception will do this. So in each of these areas, we have very specific protocols of how to manage the situations and how to intercept these all matters."

According to the RO Jagdish Chelani, "Till Wednesday, we have four candidates for nomination with ten nomination papers. We will be scrutinizing these papers for the approval of the candidates for the election. Overall, in our district, we have 539 polling stations. We have multiple teams who are now engaged, right from the presiding officer to the polling officers, as well as the FST, SSTs, police teams, and security teams. So all of that preparation now is in line. This is distributed across the office with different cells, which inculcates all the different administrative units as well within the district including other administrative setups within the district itself".

RO Jagdish Chelani also urged first-time voters to cast their votes, as he emphasized, "It is important for the first-time voters and everybody else who is a voter in this election, that you exercise your right to vote. If you are able to exercise your right to vote, you are able to select people who will represent you in areas of policymaking. If you have the right people who are setting the right policies for you, you will be setting out the future, not just for the state, but for the country in general, and you will be setting it out for future generations as well. All of these matters, whichever policies the government makes, will impact your life in very important manners. And it is important that you take up your right to vote and exercise it. We in government, and especially in this administration, have tried in our manner possible to ensure that we do vote awareness programs. We are also setting up a lot of modal polling stations. You will have volunteers, you will have a lot of public who will be doing it. And we have had a great historic sense. We have people who have voted since the very first time, since independence, and as well since the statehood of Meghalaya. And to the young voters, it is your right to vote. If you don't exercise this, then if you don't put your right to vote in place, it will be difficult for you to put the party or public that you choose to represent you to accountable. So You should exercise that and ensure that the right people come to the forum so that you have better and more important policy-making that is suitable to you".