The stage is set for elections to 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats in the State on Thursday. A mock polling exercise will be conducted in the presence of the candidates and their agents at 5.30 a.m., and the actual polling will be from 7 a.m. The polling will come to an end at 6 p.m. The fate of 344 LS and 2,395 Assembly candidates will be decided on May 23 when counting of votes is scheduled.

A total 3,93,45,717 persons (1,94,62,339 men, 1,98,79,421 women and 3,957 third gender) are on the final electoral rolls dated March 25, 2019.

Tight security has been provided at 27,817 polling stations, which include 8,514 critical locations and 520 prone to Left-wing violence, according to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi.

The number of polling stations stands at 46,120. The ECI has deployed 112 expenditure, 75 general and 13 police observers.

Holiday today

April 11 has been declared a holiday for the government employees, shops and commercial establishments and educational institutions.

Special arrangements have been made for the elderly and physically challenged to access the polling stations and other facilities like drinking water. In addition to the local police, nearly 6,000 security personnel have been drawn from Karnataka, Odisha and Tamil Nadu and 197 companies of the Central armed police. Steps are being taken to ensure compliance with the code.

Valid IDs

The CEO said those who cannot produce the Electors’ Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) may submit passport, driving licence and identity cards issued by Central and the State governments and the PSUs, the passbook provided by banks and post offices, PAN card, MNREGA job card, health insurance smart card issued by the Ministry of Labour, pension documents and Aadhaar card as alternative proofs of identity.