Jaipur, October 3 (IANS) Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed 15 IAS and 3 IPS officers of Rajasthan as central observers for upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections and by-elections in several states.
These senior officials will play an important role in ensuring the operation of independent, fair and transparent elections, acting as the eyes and ears of the Commission.
The ECI on Friday performed a comprehensive briefing at the ‘India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi, which included 425 officials, which included 287 IAS, 58 IP and 80 IRS/IRAS/ICAS officers.
The purpose of briefing was the purpose of preparing central supervisors for their constitutional responsibilities during the election process.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) along with Gyanash Kumar, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi address the gathering.
CEC Kumar described observers as the “beacon of democracy”, which highlights their responsibility to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged them to be well aware of election laws and guidelines, maintain fairness and ensure strict compliance with the model code of conduct.
The CEC emphasized that observers should be fully accessible to political parties, candidates and voters, providing immediate redressal of complaints. He was recently directed to oversee the implementation of the ECI initiative to visit polling stations and improve voter facilities and access.
Observers are appointed under the full powers provided to the Commission by Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951. His role includes monitoring law and order, monitoring expenditure, and ensuring efficiency in electoral machinery at the ground level.
The Election Commission reiterated that supervisors fulfill the important responsibility of strengthening transparency, accountability and voter trust.
With the visiting Bihar high-day assembly elections, the appointment of experienced officers-those from Rajasthan have been included-which fulfills the Commission’s commitment to maintain the highest standards of democratic practice.
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Arc/Dan