Arrangements finalised for LG elections in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi
The three-day training process of polling staff deputed for local government elections in Rawalpindi has been completed. All arrangements for holding local bodies elections in 3rd Phase in Rawalpindi District on December 5, 2015, have been completed by the Election Commission of Pakistan, local administration, and other concerned departments with a view to ensure polling in a peaceful atmosphere.
A total of 22,81,483 registered voters will exercise their right of vote to elect their representatives for Metropolitan Corporation, Six Municipal Committees, District Council and Union Councils in District Rawalpindi, and for this purpose, 1,771 polling stations have been established in the district.
District Returning Office Muhammad Javaid Khan Afridi, while giving details in this respect in a meeting, informed that a total of 439 polling stations are for men and the same number of polling stations have established for women separately, while 893 polling stations have been established for male and female voters on combined premises, where male and female voters will cast their vote at separate polling booths.
Javaid Khan Afridi disclosed that 4,465 polling booths would be established in the district where voters would cast their votes. He said that 1,771 presiding officers would perform their duties at the polling stations and 8,578 assistant presiding officers have been deputed at polling stations in the district.
The district returning officer said that 4,465 polling officers have been deputed at 4,465 polling booths to be established at polling stations in the district. He said that a total of 12,27,638 male voters and 10,53,445 female voters will exercise their right in 3rd phase of local bodies elections to be held on December 5, 2015, in Rawalpindi district.
Meanwhile, hectic electioneering by the contesting candidates is underway in all union councils for seeking support of the voters in their favour. Some local stalwarts of their respective parties like Sajjad Khan, former deputy nazim of Rawalpindi city Sardar Naseem, former MPA Anjum Farooq Paracha, ex-councillor are also in the run in local bodies elections for the slot of chairmanship in their union councils.
As part of electioneering, the contesting candidates of different political parties as well as independents are approaching people door-to-door to win their support besides holding corner meetings. Posters and banners have been displayed on electric poles, walls, buildings and shop tops besides vehicles including cars, cabs and rickshaws.
Though several parties have fielded their candidates in the elections, yet real contest is expected between the PML-N and PTI candidates. However, in certain constituencies, chances of independent candidates to overwhelm PTI and PML-N candidates could not be shrugged off. In the presence of PML-N, PTI and independent contestants, the candidates belonging to PPP, JI, AML, JUI look weak as majority of voters are either supporters of PML-N or PTI. Canvassing for electioneering would end on the night of December 3.
District Election Commissioner Nadeem Zubair told ‘The News’ that all necessary arrangement have been completed while a three-day video training programme held at Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) has also been completed here on Wednesday.
He said that the concerned returning officers (ROs) have completed pre-verification of all polling stations. The final verification process of polling stations has also been started to know the condition of buildings where polling would be held on December 5, he claimed.
He said that they have already completed ‘Master Training’ for 4,000 presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and other polling officers to conduct fair and transparent elections in the Rawalpindi district.
The returning officers and presiding officers in Rawalpindi district have also completed assessing about the facilities, including toilets, drinking water, electricity, and buildings where polling would be held. The concerned officers have also assessing distances for staff to provide them transport facility on the election day.
District Election Commission Muhammad Nadeem Zubair said that polling would be held from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. without any break on December 5. “If anybody tried to cast a bogus vote, he would face the music,” he warned.