The process of filing nomination papers for elections to Haveri Lok Sabha Constituency will begin on Friday, after the election notification is issued.
Addressing presspersons in Haveri on Thursday, Haveri Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Raghunandan Murthy said that from April 12 to 19, barring the general holidays, candidates can file their nomination papers from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Deputy Commissioner’s Court Hall in Haveri.
He clarified that the time shown on the wall clock hung at the office of the Returning Officer will be considered as final and no nomination papers will be accepted after 3 p.m. Nomination papers will not be accepted on April 13 and 14, which have been declared as general holidays, he said.
Mr. Murthy said that scrutiny of nomination papers will be taken on April 20 and the candidates will have time till April 22 to withdraw their nomination papers. Polling will be held on May 7 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.
He clarified that only three vehicles each of candidates will be allowed within a 100 m radius of the office of the Returning Officer and only five people, including the candidate, will be allowed to enter the office to submit nomination papers.
He also said that prior permission is a must for holding rallies or public meetings during filing of nomination papers and the expenses thus incurred will be added to their overall election expenditure of the concerned.
The Returning Officer said that a total of 1,600 voters have consented to vote from home in the eight Assembly segments of Haveri and Gadag districts under the Haveri Lok Sabha Constituency.
He said that all preparatory measures have already been taken and training given for holding free and fair elections. And, a second round of training will be held before April 30.
To a query, he clarified that no cases of violation of model code of conduct has been reported in the district so far. However, in different cases, ₹11.43 lakh in cash, 35.149 l of liquor worth ₹81.79 lakh and 1.94 kilogram of narcotic drugs worth ₹48,384 have been seized. This apart, 975 articles worth ₹5.50 lakh has also been seized, along with 31 vehicles, he said.
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of MCMC Akshy Sridhar and Additional Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Returning Officer Pujar Veermallappa were present.
