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.
The capital, Delhi, was once again shrouded in a thick, toxic smog. The air quality index reached
The Women's Commission had summoned Ranveer Allahabadia, Samay Raina, and Apoorva Makhija, along
The Trump administration in the US has made a major change to the H-1B visa policy, increasing th
The central government has announced that the Census of India's population will be conducted duri
The craze of Panchayat Season 4 had not even subsided from the audience when Amazon Prime Video a
The Delhi High Court heard Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition challenging the arrest and r
On September 27th, renowned Punjabi singer Rajvir Jawanda was involved in a horrific car accident
'Petitions against Waqf Act are for vote bank', BJP calls protesters anti-constitutional
The BJP on Monday slammed several PILs challenging the new Waqf Act, terming them vote bank inter
Salman Khan's security has been given top priority amid threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made a big claim amid the important meeting between US Presi
