Kohima: With nearly a week left for the assembly poll notification to be issued, Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) J Alam today said almost 20 lakh people are expected to vote in the 12th Nagaland Assembly Elections on February 23.
A total of 19,80,602, including 9,54,895 females, are expected to exercise their franchise, Mr Alam told a press conference here. He said the population growth in the Electoral Roll of 2013 is 59.2 per cent, with 57.9 per cent in males and 60.6 per cent in females.
The gender ratio among the electorate as per final roll of 2013 is 975 females per thousand males.
The state will have 2,023 polling stations. These will be manned by 14,161 polling personnel, besides the security forces. A total of 600 counting personnel will be engaged for counting of votes, he said.
Mr Alam said the Longhto Polling Station under Alongtaki constituency in Mokokchung district has the highest number of 3,642 voters while the lowest number of voters will be in Lichuyan polling station under Bhandari assembly constituency under Wokha district with only 32 voters.
Among the constituencies, Ghaspani I under Dimapur has the highest number of voters, while Mokokchung Town constituency has the lowest number of voters. He also informed that the number of newly enlisted voters is 16,322 and most of them are ‘first time voters.’
On the security arrangement, the CEO said the state had demanded a total of 250 companies of additional security forces, but the Union Home Ministry has sanctioned only 180 companies.
Besides, the state has two existing battalions of CRPF and approximately 13,000 personnel from the Nagaland Armed Police, Village Guards and Home Guards. The percentage of security will be one security man per 48 people. Moreover, there are 11 battalions of Assam Rifles, who will provide the ‘Environmental Security’ throughout the state, but will not be engaged in election duty.
Mr Alam also revealed that for the first time in Nagaland, there will be 11 police observers in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, who will come from outside the state and stationed in the district headquarters to monitor the policing by the state Police Department.
He also informed that a total of 13 Expenditure Observers will arrive on January 30. There will also be 22 General Observers appointed by the ECI. Mon and Mokokchung districts will have three each, for Kiphire, Peren and Longleng districts will have one each and the others will have two Observers each.
He informed that the notification would be issued on January 30, the last date of filing nomination papers is February 6. Scrutiny will be taken up the next day and the last date of withdrawal is on February 9. Counting will be taken up on February 28. (UNI)