GVMC Commissioner reviews local body election preparedness

Officials during the review and orientation meeting at the GVMC Office in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner and Additional Election Authority Ketan Garg on Saturday (October 10, 2026) directed officials to ensure the entire machinery is fully prepared to efficiently conduct the forthcoming local body elections.He emphasised that every officer and employee assigned election duties must have a comprehensive understanding of election rules, procedures, and their respective responsibilities.The Commissioner conducted a comprehensive review and orientation meeting at the GVMC Office on Saturday. The meeting focused on advance election arrangements, the duties and responsibilities of election officials, and the implementation of election rules and guidelines.Addressing the officials, Mr. Ketan Garg said that 18,37,901 voters are expected to exercise their franchise at 1,990 polling stations across 120 wards under the GVMC limits.He stated that, out of the total 1,990 polling stations, 91 have been identified as hyper-sensitive, 313 as sensitive, 393 as critical, and 1,193 as normal polling stations. He instructed officials to coordinate with the Police Department to make adequate security arrangements at sensitive locations.He stated that training programmes had already been conducted for Returning Officers (ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs). He directed the officials concerned to complete all necessary arrangements for the training programmes scheduled on October 13 and 14 for Presiding Officers and Polling Officers.The Commissioner said that, as part of advance election preparations, ballot boxes and other essential election materials had already been transported to the designated distribution centres in all zones. He added that election material distribution centres, strong rooms, and counting centres for the post-poll counting process had also been identified.He instructed the officials assigned to these centers to inspect the facilities and complete all necessary arrangements well in advance. The officials were instructed to coordinate with APSRTC and the Transport Department to arrange the required buses, minibuses, and other vehicles.He further directed Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers to personally inspect all polling stations and ensure the availability of essential facilities, including drinking water, toilets, sanitation, electricity, ramps and wheelchairs for persons with disabilities.Emphasising the importance of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), Commissioner Ketan Garg instructed all election officials to strictly adhere to the prescribed election rules and guidelines following the issuance of the election notification.The Commissioner also instructed officials to create awareness among contesting candidates regarding the nomination process, allotment of election symbols, necessary permissions, and maintenance of election expenditure records.The Commissioner further directed officials to establish a special monitoring cell for receiving and promptly resolving election-related complaints. Published - October 10, 2026 06:58 pm IST