Maharashtra assembly elections 2024: Only 5 persons allowed during poll nomination submission to Returning Officer, say Police

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An official said that the Mumbai police have restricted the number of persons entering the Returning Officer's (RO) cabin for submission of nomination to five for the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024, reported news agency PTI.

Also, only three vehicles of a candidate will be permitted in the 100 metres periphery of the RO's office, as per prohibitory orders issued on Tuesday under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), he said, reported PTI.

The police also prohibited political campaign through slogans, rally, procession, singing of songs and use of musical instruments during the submission of nomination form, the order mentioned.

If two candidates of different political parties come at a time to submit their nomination forms, then nobody will indulge in a provocative act against each other, the official said, reported PTI.

Ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections 2024, the prohibitory orders will remain in force till November 4 in the Mumbai district and suburbs.

Officials reach out to housing colonies, civil society to increase voting in Colaba

Meanwhile, authorities have been reaching out to the civil society members and representatives of housing societies in Mumbai's Colaba segment to appeal for increasing the voter turnout in the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024.

This comes after Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar last week expressed concern over urban apathy affecting the voter turnout.

In the 2019 state polls, south Mumbai's upmarket Colaba area saw a low voter turnout of about 40 per cent.

In a bid to address the issue of urban apathy, the Election Commission has decided to hold voting this time on Wednesday (November 20), with an aim to discourage voters from going on vacations if the exercise is clubbed with weekends.

The Election Commission has been flagging the issue of low polling in urban centres, including those like Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra, and has been taking a number of steps to increase voter awareness.

"Look at Gurgaon, look at Faridabad, recently, last election Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Bengaluru South, Gandhinagar, Colaba, Pune, Thane¿ all are much below state averages of each state," Kumar had said.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mumbai City Collector Sanjay Yadav said they have prepared a list of polling booths which witnessed low voter turnout in the last few elections and formulated as action plan as per the polling station.

"For increasing the voter turnout, an action plan has been prepared at the booth levels," he said when about steps taken to encourage electors to exercise their franchise.

Yadav said they are reaching out to the civil society members and officer-bearers of housing societies, apart from the booth-level assistants in the Colaba constituency to increase the voter turnout on the election day.

He said Colaba area has a large number of defence colonies, and hence they are also approaching defence officers and asking them to appeal to their staff to vote.

"We have done all the possible preparations so the voting percentage will be at par with the national and state average," Yadav said.

(With inputs from PTI)