Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar addresses a meeting on the General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, in New Delhi on August 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Election Commission on Thursday said that it would deploy over 400 observers for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. It has asked the observers to stay vigilant against false narratives and be accessible to all political parties and voters.
Around 200 general observers, 100 police observers and as many expenditure observers are being deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. These include senior officers drawn from IAS, IPS officers as well as officers from Indian Revenue Service and few other Central Services.
The poll body deploys observers under Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and plenary powers of the Constitution.
At a day-long meeting with the observers here on Thursday, the full Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar advised them to overcome language barriers and ensure that there are no gaps in communication and advised them to be accessible to all parties and voters.
While noting that the Assembly elections are keenly contested, Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, emphasised that the officials should observe the complete election ecosystem for free and fair polls and asserted that the role of observers becomes all the more critical in these elections.
The observers were strictly directed to remain accessible to all parties, candidates and voters for timely redressal of their grievances, the EC said in a statement, adding that any complaints in this regard will be viewed seriously by the poll body.
The EC officials said that special summary of photo electoral rolls with qualifying date July, 1 have been successfully completed in all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Territory has seen an addition of 93,000 new voters and the number of polling stations has also gone up by 209.
The number of young voters in the 18 to 19 age group has increased by 45,964, with 24,310 of them being women, even as the overall number of the women voters has also gone up by 51,142.
The final electoral rolls for Haryana will be published on August 27.
