The Election Commission of India on Monday told observers that they must remain within the physical boundaries of the parliamentary constituency alloted to them during the upcoming general elections and their vehicles might be fitted with GPS trackers to ensure this.
The Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, said that in the upcoming general elections, about 900 general observers, 450 police observers and 800 expenditure observers will be deployed “to ensure a level-playing field for free, fair, intimidation and inducement-free elections”.
On Monday, over 2,150 senior officers from different central services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS), were briefed by Kumar, and other senior officials from the poll body in hybrid mode at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.
Observers must also publicise their mobile and landline numbers, email addresses, and places of stay on the websites of the chief electoral officers (CEOs) and the district. The poll body has instructed the observers to always remain available via phone and email, and to respond to all calls from candidates, political parties, general public and personnel on election duty.
Under Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the poll body can nominate observers (who must be government officers) to watch the conduct of elections in a constituency or a group of constituencies. The observer is empowered to stop counting of votes before declaration of the result or to not declare the result if they decide that “booth capturing has taken place at a large number of polling stations or at places fixed for the poll or counting of votes or any ballot papers used at a polling station or at a place fixed for the poll are unlawfully taken out of the custody of the returning officer or are accidentally or intentionally destroyed or lost or are damaged or tampered with to such an extent that the result of the poll at that polling station or place cannot be ascertained”.
When an observer directs a returning officer to stop counting of votes or to not declare the result, the observer will report the matter to the Election Commission and the latter can then issue appropriate directions.