Palamu administration has estimated 44 lakh ballot papers needed for the panchayat election here. Among this huge consignment is also the reserved ballot papers which are kept stand by in cases of loot of ballot papers, destruction of ballot papers by miscreants, faulty ballot papers etc.
Sources said this figure may scale down if voters in panchayats/panchayat samitis and zila parishads elect candidates without contest. The elections for panchayat samitis are more prone to be held without contest at many places in Palamu.
Pandey said the ballot papers are to be printed in Kolkata. A team of poll officials is to leave for Kolkatta by Shaktipunj express train here on Friday, said Pandey. The team of officials will go for proof reading and matching of symbols allotted to candidates in Kolkatta.
Pandey said “The ballot paper printing press in Kolkatta will be e-mailed the symbols allotted to candidates”. The figure of ballot papers is of all the 4 phase poll in Palamu .
This panchayat election has generated immense interest here in villages. The Pioneer conducted a random check of petrol pump stations here in Daltonganj and on NH 75 and 98 where the staff admitted that sale of petrol and diesel has gone up three fold high.
Asked for the reason of this surge of sale many personnel of the petrol pump stations said “Young voters who are supporters of either mukhiya candidate, zila parishad candidate or panchayat samiti candidate come to us and ask for filling up of the fuel tank”. They take out wad of notes one staffer of a petrol pump station told The Pioneer. The minimum money that these young voters on bikes give is 500 rupees. Earlier it used to be 100 rupees or 150 or so. Sources said no expenditure observer of this poll can track down such expenditures of the contestants.
Candidates are now no longer using stickers on workers/supporters and sympathisers bikes /vehicles. Village tea stalls are buzzing with activities.