The Election Commission on Tuesday appointed special observers for administrative, security, and expenditure monitoring purposes in several states to ensure a level playing field during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The election panel said special observers – former civil servants with stellar track records – have been tasked with monitoring the electoral process with strict vigilance. The panel said the responsibility has been given especially in the backdrop of challenges arising from the influence of money, muscle power, and misinformation.
The Election Commission said special observers (general and police) have been deployed in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, which have a population of more than seven crore. The Commission said that assembly elections are also to be held along with Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. It said special expenditure observers have also been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha.
The election panel said special observers will be posted at the state headquarters and if needed, will visit areas where sensitivity is high and necessary coordination is required. The panel said they may seek requisite inputs from time to time from observers posted in parliamentary constituencies, assembly seats, or districts, wherever necessary, without interfering in their work.
Election Commission officials said they have also been ordered to seek inputs and coordinate with regional heads and nodal officers of various agencies involved in monitoring activities. He said the special observers will have a special focus on border areas and will work towards stopping the influx of migrants and will also seek inputs on redressal of public grievances.
Also on his agenda are rapid responses to counter false narratives and monitoring of the last 72 hours before voting to ensure free and fair elections.
Know who got posting where
Retired IAS Manjeet Singh has been posted as a general special observer in Bihar, while former IPS Vivek Dubey has been posted as police special observer in the state. In Maharashtra, retired IAS Dharmendra S Gangwar has been made the general special observer, while former IPS NK Mishra has been made the police special observer.
In Uttar Pradesh, retired IAS officer Ajay V Nayak is the general special observer, and former IPS officer Manmohan Singh is the police special observer. Similarly, the general special observer in Andhra Pradesh is retired IAS officer Ram Mohan Mishra and the police special observer is former IPS Deepak Mishra who was once with Delhi Police.
Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal are making headlines these days for their marri
Election campaigning for the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu is currently in full swing. Amidst this
During the hearing on the Waqf Amendment Act, the Supreme Court issued an interim order and sough
There was a lot of uproar in the Rajya Sabha on Friday during the budget session of Parliament. B
The wait for MP Board Class 10 and 12 students is set to end tomorrow. According to the headquart
Many flights of Vistara Airlines have been canceled again today. According to media reports, the
Gold Prices Slip Amid Stock Market Rally: Check Latest Gold and Silver Rates in the Bullion Market
Gold prices witnessed a mild decline in the Delhi bullion market as improving investor sentiment
Salman Khan will be seen in the film 'Battle of Galwan'. The poster of the film was released on F
Bomb Threat: Threat to bomb three schools and one college in Delhi, fire brigade and police team present on the spot
Once again, schools and colleges in Delhi have received bomb threats. Earlier too, many schools in D
Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned in Anand, Gujarat today. During this campaign, he al
