Residents of Grand Omaxe, in Sector 93B, Noida, are once again set for fresh polls on January 22. The society's previous AOA election was postponed seven months ago due to a tiff between two resident factions that had led to a ruckus during the election process.
Saumya Srivastava, the returning officer and the deputy-CEO of Noida Authority, recently declared the date for the new polls. According to the fresh schedule, the nomination of candidates will begin on January 15; candidates can withdraw nominations on January 18. Polling and counting of votes will take place on January 22.
In the elections held in June last year, the two factions started fighting over the issue of proxy voting, with one of the factions claiming that the election was not fair as a result of it. This year, to ensure that the problem is not repeated, the returning officer has made it mandatory for eligible voters to be present at the polling booth for voting.
Srivastava has also asked the senior superintendent of police to deploy personnel at the polling booth to ensure the election is conducted in a systematic manner. He has also forwarded copies of the election schedule to the district administration and the Allahabad High Court. The court had entrusted Noida Authority with the formation of the resident body.
Abhay Kumar, assistant returning officer, said the election will take place as per the schedule and is being organised as per the directions of the Allahabad High Court. He said failure to conduct the elections would amount to contempt of court.
