In wake of floods 99 polling stations need to be relocated, says J&K chief electoral officer

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umang Narulla on Saturday said 99 polling stations need to be relocated in the wake of last month's devastating floods for the smooth conduct of assembly elections in the state."According to the preliminary information given to me by Deputy Commissioners, 99 polling stations need to be changed due to the floods," Narulla told reporters here.[caption id="attachment_1772499" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image. AFP[/caption]He said directions have been given to the deputy commissioners to undertake a detailed survey of their respective districts and submit a report to Election Commission regarding the status of flood-affected polling stations."If there is a need to change more polling stations, that will be done," he said.The CEO said the election commission would ensure the people affected by floods get their voter slips."We have sought a report from the deputy commissioners about the dislocation of such people. We are told that they are not far from their respective polling booths. The Election Commission will ensure such people get their voter-slips on time," he said.Narulla said the Commission was looking into the complaints of some returning officers being transferredagainst the directions of the Election Commission."It has come to my notice that some returning officers have been transferred. We are looking into the issue and will deal with it appropriately," he said.PTI