Election Commission plans polls with 2150 observers

New Delhi, Mar 11:  In the run-up to the forthcoming Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, the Election Commission of India (ECI) Monday organised a briefing for the observers to be deployed in the states and union territories.

Over 2150 senior officers drawn from IAS, IPS officers as well as officers from the Indian Revenue Service and a few other central services attended the briefing which was organised in a hybrid mode at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

A few officials joined virtually from the office of Chief Electoral Officers in their respective states and union territories.

Around 900 General Observers, 450 Police Observers, and 800 Expenditure Observers will be deployed in the forthcoming elections.

Reminding the observers of their crucial role, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar directed them to ensure a level playing field for free, fair, intimidation and inducement-free elections.

The CEC emphasised that the observers as representatives of the commission were expected to conduct themselves professionally and be accessible to all stakeholders including candidates.

The observers were instructed to be tough but polite in their conduct on the field.

He asked them to visit the polling stations, familiarise themselves with the geography, and take stock of any vulnerabilities and sensitive areas.

Kumar also mentioned that the commission has re-drafted all circulars and updated the manuals, and handbooks which are available on the ECI website in a searchable and easy-to-read format.

He said that handbooks and manuals had been prepared based on roles and functions of different officials along with a checklist of dos and don’ts.

During the briefing, all the observers were briefed about the crucial insights to sensitise them regarding the commission's various new initiatives and directions.

During the briefing, the observers were directed to be confined physically within the boundaries of the parliamentary constituency they are allotted, during the entire electoral process.

GPS tracking has been proposed to be fitted in their vehicles.

Observers were directed to widely publicise their mobile, landline numbers, email addresses, and places of stay on the CEO and district websites through electronic and print media which must be circulated among candidates and recognised political parties by the DEOs and ROs on the day of the arrival of observers in their respective constituencies.

The observers were told to remain available on their phones and e-mails always and attend and respond to the calls of candidates, political parties, people, and personnel on election duties.

Any complaints in this regard would be viewed seriously by the commission.

The DEOs have been asked to deploy persons of integrity as liaison officers and security officers with the observers.

These liaison officers and security officers have to be briefed and sensitised properly regarding maintaining neutrality and attending to their duties honestly and with integrity.

The observers were directed to do their mandatory duties honestly like remaining fully witness and satisfied in the processes of deployment of forces, the process of randomisation, the use of the Suvidha portal by political parties, and ensuring level playing fields for all candidates and political parties.

They have been asked to come out of their comfort zones during the entire election process.

The observers were informed that they should visit as many polling station locations and vulnerable areas as possible, interact with people living in these areas, and identify vulnerabilities and criticalities of such areas and ensure measures are taken to address them.

The observers were also directed to observe the meetings of candidates and political parties being convened by DEOs and ROs and see that their grievances were properly listened to and acted upon.

During polling hours on the day of the poll, the observers have been asked to visit as many polling stations as possible, take an assessment of the situation inside polling stations regularly, and ensure polling is going on in a free and fair manner.

The observers were told to see that central forces and state Police forces were being utilised judiciously and maintaining neutrality, and their deployment was also not favouring any political parties and candidates.

During the day-long briefing sessions, the officers were given comprehensive inputs about the various aspects of election management by the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, DECs, and DGs of ECI.

Detailed thematic presentations were made on election planning, observer’s roles and responsibilities, electoral roll issues, enforcement of Model Code of Conduct, legal provisions, EVM and VVPAT management, media engagement, and the wide array of activities undertaken for voter facilitation under the commission’s flagship Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme.

The observers were also acquainted with the various IT initiatives and mobile applications launched by the commission for voter facilitation as well as effective and efficient management of election processes on the field.

The observers were provided with a functional demonstration of EVMs and VVPATs and briefed about the multifarious technical security features, administrative protocols and procedural safeguards that surround the EVM ecosystem to make it completely secure, robust, reliable, tamper-proof, and credible.

The observers were briefed about the recently updated and comprehensive manuals, handbooks, compendium of instructions, and dos and don'ts on all thematics concerning election management to facilitate their work.

These are available on the ECI website in ebook and searchable format for easy access to any instructions and guidelines.

The commission deploys observers under Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and plenary powers of the constitution.

The observers are entrusted with the crucial and solemn responsibility of observance of the election process, the fairness, impartiality, and credibility which form the bedrock of the democratic polity.

The commission puts faith in its General, Police, and Expenditure Observers and the role of such observers in ensuring free and fair elections is of utmost importance for the commission.

These Central Observers not only help the commission in fulfilling its constitutional mandate of conducting free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections but also enhance voter awareness and participation in elections.

The main objective of election observation is to identify areas for improvement and to formulate concrete and operative recommendations.

These observers are known for being the eyes and ears of the commission.