District Election Officer (DEO) Ramban, Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary, flagged off polling parties today, sending them to their designated polling stations in preparation for the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024. The elections are set to take place tomorrow, September 18, 2024 from 7 AM to 6 PM.
Senior officials, including Senior Superintendent of Police Kulvir Singh, PO ICDS Jahangir Hashmi, Deputy DEO Abdul Jabar, and RO AC-54 Ramban S. Harpal Singh, were present during the flag-off. The district administration has meticulously arranged transportation, accommodation, and essential services across both assembly segments, AC-54 Ramban and AC-55 Banihal, ensuring that all 365 polling stations are equipped with Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) for voter convenience.
The DEO confirmed that polling parties, fully equipped with EVMs, election materials, and security personnel, were dispatched from two locations- 171 teams from the District Administrative Complex, Maitra (AC-54 Ramban), and 194 from Government Higher Secondary School Boys Banihal (AC-55 Banihal). Over 2.24 lakh registered voters are expected to cast their vote in the district.
Security personnel from CISF and the police, along with polling staff, Zonal and Sector Magistrates, Micro Observers, Zonal Officers, and Sector Officers, have been deployed to ensure a smooth election process. Additionally, eight special/model polling stations—including Pink Polling Stations, Youth Polling Stations, PwD Polling Stations and Green Polling Stations- staffed by women, youth, and Persons with Disabilities (PwD), have been set up in the district.
General Observer Himanshu Kumar Rai, Police Observer Kunal Aggarwal, and Expenditure Observer Sulekh Chand Jain, along with DEO Ramban, oversaw the dispatch of polling parties and monitored the material distribution process. They praised the efforts of the staff and emphasized the importance of adhering to guidelines to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.