Surat: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has declared a very large number of polling stations in Surat as critical polling stations for the first phase of elections in the state on December 9. Out of a total of 4,397 polling stations in 16 assembly constituencies of Surat city and district, around 2,211 have been classified as critical polling stations.
"The ECI has changed the nomenclature for sensitive booth and station to critical. Till now, booths located in places where there was law and order problem, would be placed under sensitive category. However, now some more determinants have got added with the change in nomenclature," district electoral officer and district collector Mahendra Patel said.
If old criterion of law and order is applied, then there would at the most be 350-odd sensitive or highly sensitive booths in Surat. In the past elections, only 200-odd polling booths were being classified under these categories.
The ECI now classifies a booth as critical polling booth on a different parameter. A polling station that has three or more than three polling booths means they fall under the new category and get classified as critical polling station and booths and more security forces get deployed there. A booth, which had registered 75 per cent polling turnout and any booth where a candidate had obtained more than 90 per cent of polled votes, would be declared critical polling booth under the new norms.
"There are always chances of bogus voting in such booths due to large number of absent voters and unscrupulous elements trying to exploit the situation. Polling stations of political heavyweights are also classified as critical," deputy district election officer, Surat, C P Patel said.
All the polling booths in Varachha and Katargam assembly constituencies in Surat city have been classified as critical polling booths. Varachha has 197 critical polling booths and Katargam 286 critical polling booths.
"It is not possible to come up with the exact number of polling booths classified as critical only on law and order parameter. However, there are a total of 358 stations that had either single or double polling booths and majority of them have had witnessed some law and order problem during the past two years," an election officer said.
"The ECI has changed the nomenclature for sensitive booth and station to critical. Till now, booths located in places where there was law and order problem, would be placed under sensitive category. However, now some more determinants have got added with the change in nomenclature," district electoral officer and district collector Mahendra Patel said.
If old criterion of law and order is applied, then there would at the most be 350-odd sensitive or highly sensitive booths in Surat. In the past elections, only 200-odd polling booths were being classified under these categories.
The ECI now classifies a booth as critical polling booth on a different parameter. A polling station that has three or more than three polling booths means they fall under the new category and get classified as critical polling station and booths and more security forces get deployed there. A booth, which had registered 75 per cent polling turnout and any booth where a candidate had obtained more than 90 per cent of polled votes, would be declared critical polling booth under the new norms.
"There are always chances of bogus voting in such booths due to large number of absent voters and unscrupulous elements trying to exploit the situation. Polling stations of political heavyweights are also classified as critical," deputy district election officer, Surat, C P Patel said.
All the polling booths in Varachha and Katargam assembly constituencies in Surat city have been classified as critical polling booths. Varachha has 197 critical polling booths and Katargam 286 critical polling booths.
"It is not possible to come up with the exact number of polling booths classified as critical only on law and order parameter. However, there are a total of 358 stations that had either single or double polling booths and majority of them have had witnessed some law and order problem during the past two years," an election officer said.
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