ECI holds briefing meeting of General, Police & Expenditure Observers for Delhi Assembly Polls

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on January 14, 2020, organised a Briefing Meeting for Observers to be deployed for the forthcoming NCT of Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections, for which schedule was announced on January 6, 2020.  Poll date for the single phased election for Delhi’s 70 constituencies is February 8, 2020 and Counting will be held on February 11, 2020.

More than 150 officers drawn from IAS, IPS as also from Indian Revenue Service and other Central Services were called for the General, Police and Expenditure Observers briefing on January 14. Adequate number of officers would be deployed on actual duty.

Addressing the Observers, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora advised them to maintain close coordination with officers teams deputed in the field and to remain accessible at all times. Arora particularly asked them to follow ECI’s guidelines with full sincerity and devotion and adhere to code of ethics with no laxity at all in performing assigned tasks. He asked the Observers to ensure due Assured Minimum Facilities at all the Polling booths.

The fact that infrastructure in national capital is better than many places in the hinterland notwithstanding, Arora asked the Observers to visit the Polling Booths to check due facilitation to senior citizens, Persons with Disabilities, and women voters to ensure  Commission’s commitment to principle of Inclusive Elections. He reiterated that ECI shall not tolerate any wilful lapses, according to a PIB release.

Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa emphasised the significance of role of Observers. Wherever critical interventions are required to ensure that no lapses even of the smallest nature  cause disruption in the Electoral Process, the officers should attend to it promptly, he said. Familiarisation with laid down instructions and attention to specific details of additional facilities being initiated in Delhi Elections, such as Absentee Voter Facilitation to essential services categories, 80+ aged voters as also marked PwDs; QR code reader on Photo Voter Slips, would aid efficacy of Observers assigned the duty.

Speaking to the group, Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra drew the attention of the Officers that as Observers they have a statutory duty to perform on behalf of Election Commission of India. He said the Officers so deputed need to be neutral and impartial in discharge of their duties and be the actual face of ECI on the ground.

It was particularly pointed out to the Observers that while in recent Jharkhand elections, Postal Ballot Facilitation for the Octogenarians and PwD voters was introduced on pilot basis, the optional facility of being able to cast vote from home would be extended across all 70 ACs of Delhi to voters above age of 80 years; marked PwDs as also to persons employed in essential services like Delhi Metro on-duty staff on polling day, Northern Railways Transportation (Passenger and Freight ) services as also mediapersons for whom authority letters have been issued for covering poll-day activities in NCT of Delhi.