Polling staff assigned duties in Pindi

DRO bars electoral workers from leaving Rawalpindi district

RAWALPINDI:

The District Returning Officer (DRO) has assigned duties to all polling staff for the February 8 general elections and has entrusted their services to the returning officers (ROs) of seven national and 14 provincial assembly seats in the Rawalpindi district.

The process of stationing government workers at voting places has started. Additionally, notifications have been sent out for the posting of all presiding, assistant presiding, and polling officers at polling stations. All employees of various government institutions on polling duty have been immediately banned from leaving the city.

Additionally, they have been told to keep their mobile phones open to answer calls and messages right away.

Furthermore, all the holidays for these workers have been postponed, and directives have been issued to guarantee that every poll worker is present on February 5. To distribute the polling boxes and stationery, all the polling staff have been summoned before the returning officers at 10am on February 7. On February 5, every official assigned to poll duty will appear at their respective polling station.

Read: ECP finalises poll staff’s training

The officers and personnel of all 28 government departments, including education, health, municipal corporation, district council, and social welfare, have been included in the polling duty.

The general elections are only five days away, which are scheduled for February 8. However, since there isn't an election campaign this time, all major political parties are not getting polling agents for polling stations. It is extremely difficult for candidates to appoint female polling agents. This time, the activists of the political parties have refused to allow their female family members to work as polling agents.

Subsequently, candidates have started offering an honorarium of Rs5,000 to female polling agents besides providing free breakfast at 6:30 am, lunch in the afternoon, tea and biscuits twice a day, and roasted gram, and desi ghee on the polling day.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2024.