ECI Reviewing Poll Preparations for Haryana Legislative Assembly Elections

To review the actions taken in line with the instructions given by the Election Commission of India to the officials involved in the election process during its visit to Haryana on August 12-13, a team of senior officers from the ECI held a meeting on Monday with the District Commissioners, IG Police Range, Assistant Commissioners-cum-DEOs, Commissioners of Police and SPs, MC Commissioner, General Observers, Police Observers and Expenditure Observers of 11 districts on preparations.

The team included Deputy Election Commissioner Hridesh Kumar, Secretary KP Singh, Chief Secretary Avinash Kumar and SB Joshi. The meeting took place in the presence of Haryana Chief Election Officer Pankaj Agarwal and State Police Nodal Officer Saurabh Singh.

The Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, then reviewed the administrative, logistic, law and order and election related arrangements with the Chief Election Officer and the Nodal Officer of the State Police. The Commission directed to ensure conduct of free and fair elections by maintaining good law and order situation. It stressed on maintaining healthy electoral roll by removing deceased and shifted voters. It also directed to provide minimum secured facility in pooling booths along with conducive environment to encourage voter participation. DEOs were instructed to be equally accessible to all political parties and to promptly resolve complaints regarding various election related activities.

In the meeting on Monday, DEC’s Hirdesh Kumar reviewed the marking of voter lists, time schedule for preparation of ASD (Absent, Shifted, Duplicate or Dead) lists, distribution of voter slips, distribution of Voter Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) and addressing of any major grievances regarding voter lists. He stated that printing of pending EPIC cards should be followed up with the printing press and EPIC cards should be distributed by September 30.

Police officials briefed about security arrangements to ensure good law and order situation. The team expressed satisfaction about the deployment of central forces and other security arrangements. However, they stressed the need for immediate action for better surveillance of border areas in coordination with police of neighbouring countries.

The team realised that the seizures made so far were not satisfactory and emphasised on reorganising the strategy and monitoring the work of different Flying Squadron Surveillance Teams and Static Surveillance Teams. Faridabad, Sonipat and Gurugram districts were instructed to make special efforts in this regard. Police officials assured that effective steps would be taken to increase surveillance and improve seizures.