All the 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh are going to have their separate website portals exclusively for electoral process. Along with the maps of Assembly as well as parliamentary constituencies,location of polling booths would also be provided on these district portals. The Chief Electoral Office (CEO) has directed the district units of National Informatics Centres (NIC) to launch their electoral portals by December 15. NIC units have been provided a standard format to prepare the web portal having features similar as provided in new improved website of the CEO that was launched on Tuesday. These portals would be titled as per the districts name; for example District Election officer-Lucknow. Election officials said that election-related complaints received via telephone or e-mails in the district complaint cells and at the CEOs call centre in Lucknow would be posted and their status will be updated on these portals. The orders related with any particular district would be posted directly on the portal of the district concerned. As the district magistrates execute the job of district election officers (DEO),all the information related to elections are currently being posted on the websites of district administration. People used to be more familiar with the districts website than that of CEOs portal. But as district administrations website displays various information related with different schemes,election-related information get mixed with that, said Umesh Sinha,UP Chief Electoral Officer. To provide election related information like electoral roll,model code of conduct,poll-related orders and guidelines at one place,the new web portals will be launched, Sinha said. The websites of district administration will have the link of the new election portals. Officials said that these portals would be very useful during the upcoming Assembly polls in the state. Besides updated electoral roll,district authorities will also upload the photographs and videos of voter awareness activities done in their area on their portals. The CEO would have direct access to portals of all the districts. Handbook of guidelines for returning officers,candidates,political parties and poll agents will also be uploaded on district election portals.
