Election office conducts mock drill to prepare for possible LS bypoll

“The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been stored at Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown at Koregaon Park, considering the bypoll for Pune Lok Sabha seat. The mock poll was conducted on Wednesday by mixing one percent of the total EVMs at the FCI,” said an officer of the district election office.

Earlier, additional municipal commissioner Ravindra Binawade of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had directed 120 civic staff on election duty to attend the mock poll, failing to which those absent will have to face disciplinary action.

“It is mandatory for the civic staff on election duty to attend the mock poll. Those found absent will have to face disciplinary action,” he said.

The district election office has got 60 clerks and 60 peons from PMC for election duty. It had earlier roped in the staff of PMC as well as other government organizations on duty of Booth Level Officer (BLO) to carry out enrolment and verification of voters in their respective booths.

The district election office had also collected information on the polling booths and other necessary facilities required for polling.

Bapat passed away on March 29 this year, with a year to go before his five-year term ended.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha in May 2019 after defeating Mohan Joshi of Congress. As per the law, a Lok Sabha seat cannot remain vacant for more than six months, and the by-election has to be carried out within six months of the death of a sitting member.

There is a lot of interest in the possible Pune Lok Sabha bypoll considering the general elections are just a year away and the outcome of the bypoll will create the atmosphere for next year’s election. The bypoll is also going to take place after the intense fight in the recently held bypoll of Kasba Assembly seat that was won by Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar by defeating BJP candidate Hemant Rasane in the bastion of BJP.

The BJP had won the seat in the previous six elections and made the bypoll a prestige issue to prove its hold on the politics of the city.

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The Kasba bypoll was held due to the death of sitting BJP legislator Mukta Tilak.