New Delhi:

The Electoral Commission today appointed special observers for administration, security and expenditure monitoring in several states to ensure a level playing field during the upcoming elections.

The poll panel said the special observers, former civil servants with illustrious records, would be tasked with monitoring the electoral process with rigorous vigilance, especially against a backdrop of challenges posed by the influence of money, power and misinformation.

Opinion polls show that special observers (general and Police) authorities said.

Special expenditure observers have also been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, the report said.

In addition to general observers, expenditure observers and police observers, the European Commission also deployed special observers in the voting states.

The poll panel said special observers will be stationed at the state headquarters and, if necessary, visit areas of high sensitivity and requiring necessary coordination.

When necessary, they may seek necessary advice from observers deployed in parliamentary constituencies, seats or constituencies from time to time without disturbing their work. They are also responsible for seeking inputs and coordinating with the regional heads and nodal officers of various agencies involved in monitoring activities.

Special observers will pay special attention to border areas in an effort to stem the flow of incentives and seek input on redressing public dissatisfaction.

Their agenda also includes responding quickly to counter false claims and monitoring the final 72 hours before the vote to ensure a free and fair election.

Retired IAS Manjit Singh has been deployed as General Special Observer in Bihar, while former IPS Vivek Dubey has been appointed as Special Observer of Police in the state. In Maharashtra, retired IAS member Dharmendra S Gangwar has been appointed as general special observer, while former IPS member NK Mishra has been posted as special observer of police.

In Uttar Pradesh, retired IAS officer Ajay V Nayak is serving as general special observer and former IPS officer Manmohan Singh as special observer of police. Similarly, in Andhra Pradesh, the General Special Observer is retired IAS officer Ram Mohan Mishra and the Police Special Observer is former IPS Deepak Mishra who worked in Delhi Police (Deepak Mishra).

Former IAS officer Yogendra Tripathi and retired IPS Rajnikant Mishra have been appointed as General Special Observer and Police Special Observer respectively in Odisha. In West Bengal, the General Special Observer is former IAS Alok Sinha and the Police Special Observer is retired IPS Anil Kumar Sharma.

The special expenditure observers for these five states are Rajesh Tuteja of Uttar Pradesh, Himalini Kashyap of Odisha, B Murali Kumar of Karnataka, Neena Nigam of Andhra Pradesh and BR Balakrishnan of Tamil Nadu. They are all former Indian Revenue Service officials.

The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. Counting will take place on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)