Thiruvananthapuram: The office of the Election Commission of India has received 2,125 nomination papers from 1,254 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar said on Tuesday.
Kerala will go to the polls on April 9 to elect 140 legislators. Scrutiny of nominations is currently underway, followed by a withdrawal window, after which the final list of valid candidates will be published. Ballot printing is expected to be completed within the next two weeks.
Kelkar said 1.75 lakh polling personnel have undergone randomisation and training, with online training modules and certification introduced for the first time alongside physical sessions.
Special arrangements have been made for postal voting, particularly for voters aged above 85 and those with over 40 per cent disability. Micro observers will accompany polling teams to ensure transparency, with representatives of political parties present during the process. Essential service personnel have also been included under the postal ballot facility.
To ensure security, 145 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, including units of the Central Reserve Police Force, are being deployed, with 30 companies already conducting area domination and vulnerability assessments.
A total of 30,471 polling stations will be set up across the state under enhanced surveillance. The electorate stands at 2.71 crore, including 273 third-gender voters, while service voters number 53,984.
Kelkar said strict enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct is underway, with surveillance teams, flying squads and check-posts monitoring violations.
Addressing a controversy over the appearance of a Bharatiya Janata Party Kerala unit seal on an official communication, he termed it a “serious lapse”. He clarified that the document was mistakenly circulated by a political party representative, adding that it was withdrawn immediately and a corrected version issued. Disciplinary action, including suspension, has been initiated pending inquiry, he said, urging the public to rely only on official information.
With IANS inputs