New Delhi

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday began a series of briefing sessions for Central Observers who will be deployed for the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

According to an official statement, a total of 1,444 officers have been shortlisted for observer duties. This includes 714 General Observers, 233 Police Observers and 497 Expenditure Observers.

The briefing programme is being conducted in three separate batches over two days, February 5 and 6, at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, addressed the officers during the sessions and outlined their responsibilities during the electoral process.

CEC Kumar said the Observers have been carefully chosen to act as the Commission’s representatives on the ground and play a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity of elections. He stressed that their presence would strengthen the functioning of the election machinery across the 824 Assembly constituencies scheduled to go to polls.

He further underlined that the Observers must ensure elections are conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner, in line with the Commission’s mandate.

Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu emphasised that Observers should function as mentors and guides for field officials. He said their deployment should be widely publicised and that they must remain approachable to voters.

“Their accessibility is essential so that grievances of electors are addressed promptly, preventing even the perception of bias,” Sandhu said.

Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi highlighted the importance of strict adherence to the Commission’s instructions. He said Observers must ensure that all guidelines are implemented both in letter and spirit, while maintaining neutrality and upholding democratic principles.

Joshi also directed officials to ensure timely distribution of Voter Information Slips (VIS) so that voters do not face difficulties on polling day.

The briefing sessions also included interactive, doubt-clearing discussions between the Commission and the Observers. Senior ECI officials provided detailed presentations on electoral roll preparation and various operational aspects of conducting elections in the five poll-bound States and Union Territory.

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As per the release, Central Observers are appointed under the Election Commission’s plenary powers granted by Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Their role is to assist the Commission in ensuring free and fair elections and to supervise the effective implementation of election procedures at the field level.