Jubilee Hills by-election unlikely soon, says CEO
Hyderabad: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), C Sudharshan Reddy, clarified on Tuesday that a by-election for the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency may not take place for some time, with a notification deemed unlikely within the next one or two months.
Speaking to media representatives at his office in BRKR Bhavan, Reddy stated that while the Election Commission of India (ECI) has already issued notifications for by-elections in several vacant assembly constituencies across the country, Jubilee Hills is not currently on that list. He explained that following the receipt of a Gazette notification from the Assembly, informing them of the sitting MLA Maganti Gopinath's death, the information was promptly forwarded to the ECI. "It is up to the ECI to make a decision on conducting a by-election. By-elections have been announced in three to four other states. However, we may not have a by-election at this juncture," said Sudharshan Reddy.
The CEO further announced that the ECI has launched 21 new initiatives aimed at strengthening the electoral process and enhancing voter facilitation. These include measures such as reducing the maximum number of voters per polling station from 1,500 to 1,200 for a smoother voting experience, and increasing the number of polling stations, particularly in densely populated residential areas like high rises and gated communities. To improve accessibility, polling stations are now to be located within two kilometres of voters' residences. New conveniences include mobile phone deposit facilities outside polling stations for voter convenience, and a reduced campaign booth distance from polling stations from 200 metres to 100 metres.
Among the technological advancements, the ECI has launched ECINET, a unified digital platform integrating over 40 ECI applications and websites. Voter roll integrity will be enhanced through integration with the Registrar General's death records to promptly remove deceased voters. A nationwide duplicate EPIC (Voter ID) resolution initiative is also underway to ensure unique voter identification.
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