NEW DELHI: Kerala is all set to vote in the assembly elections on April 9, with authorities completing logistical and administrative preparations across the state.Chief electoral officer Rathan U Kelkar on Tuesday said that preparations for state assembly elections were completed, as he released key data on voters and polling arrangements ahead of voting on Thursday.A total of 2,71,42,952 voters are eligible to cast their votes, with 883 candidates in the fray.As part of the arrangements, 30,495 polling booths have been set up, including 24 auxiliary booths, which have been arranged in stations with more than 1,200 voters. Kelkar said 2,040 booths have been identified as vulnerable. Follow full coverage of assembly pollsAmong polling stations, 352 will be managed entirely by women, while 37 booths will be operated by disabled persons. He said that 98% of voters who opted for home voting facility have already cast their votes, while 95% of postal voting has been completed.The voting in Kerala is scheduled from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm across the state. The election will be conducted in a single phase covering all 140 constituencies, as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India. Voters who are in the queue before 6.00 pm will be allowed to cast their votes.Here’s the list of constituencies in Kerala assembly:Voting among those in essential services is currently under way, with 40% of polling personnel having already exercised their franchise.The CEO also said Thursday, the polling day, will be a paid holiday. Exit polls have been prohibited from being published until 6.30pm on April 29, while opinion polls have been banned from 6pm until the end of polling.Addressing concerns over postal ballots not being received, Kelkar clarified that the ballots are with the returning officers and arrangements have been made for voters to cast their votes at designated distribution centers on Wednesday. A special control room has also been set up to address related issues, he said.
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