NEW DELHI: Claiming to ensure level playing field in the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls, the Election Commission of India has deployed Special Observers (General and Police) in six states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, as they have been assigned the task of to provide critical feedback and vigilant oversight, say officials on Tuesday.
The officials said that the special observers, former civil servants with brilliant track records, have been tasked with overseeing the electoral process with strict vigilance, particularly against the backdrop of challenges posed by the influence of “money, muscle and misinformation”.
Giving reasons for selecting the six states, the officials said that Special Observers (General and Police) have been deployed in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, as these states have a population of more than seven crore. In the case of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, the decision has been taken keeping in view the simultaneous polling for the Assemblies, they added.
Special Expenditure Observers have also been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, they said.
According to the ECI officials, the special observers will station themselves at the state headquarters and if needed, tour the areas where sensitivity is high and necessary coordination is required.
The special observers can seek requisite inputs from time to time from the observers deployed in the parliamentary constituencies, assembly seats or districts, wherever necessary, without interfering in their work, the officials said, adding that they are also mandated to seek inputs and coordinate with regional heads and nodal officers of various agencies involved in monitoring activities.
The special observers will have a special focus on border areas and work towards plugging the inflow of inducements and also work on seeking inputs on the redressal of grievances of the public and also on their agenda would be to quick in their responses to counter false narrative and monitoring of the last 72 hours before the poll, to ensure free and fair elections.
While retired IAS Manjit Singh has been deployed as a general special observer in Bihar, former IPS Vivek Dubey has been posted as a police special observer in the state. In Maharashtra, Dharmendra S Gangwar, a retired IAS, has been made general special observer while NK Mishra, a former IPS, is the police special observer.
In Uttar Pradesh, retired IAS officer Ajay V Nayak is the general special observer and Manmohan Singh, a former IPS officer, is the police special observer. 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 was once with the Delhi Police.
Former IAS officer Yogendra Tripathi and retired IPS Rajnikant Mishra have been appointed as general special observer and police special observer, respectively for 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 the five states are Rajesh Tuteja in Uttar Pradesh, Himalini Kashyap in Odisha, B Murali Kumar in Karnataka, Neena Nigam in Andhra Pradesh and BR Balakrishnan in Tamil Nadu. All are former Indian Revenue Service officers.
