Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday organized a briefing meeting. The meeting was organized for observers to be deployed for the forth coming General Election to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
More than 1650 Observers participated in the briefing meeting both physically and virtually from more than 120 remote locations.
Officers from IAS, IPS, IRS and other Central Services have been included to be deployed as General, Police and Expenditure Observers.
Image source: PIB
Addressing the Observers, Chief Election Commissioner (ECI) Sunil Arora said that Observers are one of the most important torchbearers of Indian democracy.
He also recalled that during his tenure in ECI, since September 2017, he has been associated with 14 Elections of state Assemblies and also the 2019 Lok Sabha General Elections.
Observers played an important role in the conduct of every election. Taking note of the exemplary work accomplished by the CEO and DEOs of Bihar despite wide spread Covid concerns, Arora said that Bihar Assembly elections have literally become a turning point in the history of Indian elections.
Even the participation of voters was better than the previous Assembly and Parliamentary elections in Bihar. He also said that successful conduct of elections is always a combined feat of field officers and ECI where the Observers and Special Observers also play a vital role.
He added that, during these elections, Observers will have additional role in randomization of forces and its deployment.
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CEC Chief Arora has asked the Observers to visit the Polling Booths to check due facilitation to senior citizens, persons with disabilities and women voters to ensure Commission’s commitment to principle of Inclusive Elections.
In the forthcoming elections, more than 18 Crore voters would be exercising their right of franchise. Accounting for social distancing norms, more than 80,000 polling stations have been added.
Observers will have to ensure proper direction to Field-level officers so that ECI’s constitutional mandate is scrupulously fulfilled.
The half-day long briefing sessions held on Wednesday had comprehensive briefing by the Secretary General ECI Umesh Sinha on Election Planning.
Image source: PIB
For these ensuing elections, ECI has extended the option of Postal Ballot facility to the electors who are marked as Persons with Disabilities (PwD), electors above the age of 80 years, electors employed in notified Essential services and electors who are COVID- 19 positive/suspect as certified by competent authority and are in quarantine (home/institutional).
Commission’s broad Guidelines for COVID-safe election to be adhered to during the entire election processes for all persons, include increased number of auxiliary Polling stations, Thermal Scanning of all persons, Sanitizer and mask use; larger halls with adequate spacing of counting tables; Adequate number of vehicles mobilized for movement of polling personnel, security personnel to ensure compliance of COVID-19 guidelines as also vaccination for all personnel involved in electoral process.
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