Udupi: "A total of 15,72,958 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency, scheduled for April 26," stated DC Dr. K Vidyakumari during a press conference held at the DC office in Manipal on March 26.

Providing insights into the arrangements for ensuring smooth polling in Udupi, Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer K. Vidyakumari assured that comprehensive measures have been put in place to uphold the integrity of the electoral process. Following the announcement of the poll dates by the Election Commission of India, the model code of conduct has been enforced with immediate effect.

To monitor financial transactions and other activities that could potentially influence voters, an ample number of squads, checkposts, and other mechanisms will be deployed. It has been emphasized that any individual or organization planning events or gatherings must obtain prior permission from the assistant returning officers.

Out of the total voter count, approximately 8.12 lakh voters hail from the four Assembly segments in Udupi district—Kundapur, Udupi, Kaup, and Karkala—while around 7.6 lakh voters are spread across four Assembly segments in Chikkamagaluru district—Sringeri, Moodigere, Chikkamagaluru, and Tarikere. Notably, there are 536 voters aged above 100 years, with Ms. Vidyakumari mentioning that voters above 85 have the option to vote from home, although the administration encourages senior citizens to visit polling booths.

For the convenience of voters, the Election Commission will establish 1,842 polling booths across the Lok Sabha constituency, with varying numbers allocated to each Assembly constituency. Furthermore, Prateek Bayal, the CEO of Udupi Zilla Panchayat, serves as the district nodal officer for overseeing compliance with the model code of conduct. Complaints regarding violations of the code can be lodged by calling 0820-2574802 or sending a WhatsApp message to 9880831516.

Upon the enforcement of the code of conduct, civic personnel promptly initiated the removal of government publicity materials displayed at various public locations in the district on Saturday.