Senior Deputy Election Commissioners of India Dharmendra Sharma and Nitesh Kumar Vyas have stressed the need for error-free electoral rolls and conduct of elections in a fair, transparent and peaceful manner.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) would organise the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme wherever the polling was low, they said.
Speaking at the valedictory of the two-day review meeting on the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls and preparedness for the general elections here on December 23 (Saturday), Mr. Sharma told the district Collectors, Returning Officers, and Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to have a “360-degree plan” for the smooth conduct of elections, and ensure that all the officers concerned were accountable for the tasks assigned to them.
Safekeeping of EVMs
Fool-proof arrangements should be made at the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) despatch and receiving centres, strongrooms and counting centres, he said.
Mr. Vyas said purification of electoral rolls should be done properly so that there were no double entries and names of deceased electors. “The officers must have micro-planning for the safekeeping of the EVMs and every other election material,” he insisted. The guidelines laid down by the ECI should be strictly adhered to for the sake of transparency, Mr. Vyas added, and wanted that top priority be accorded to documentation.
The Collectors and police officers gave presentations on the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in their purview, the cleaning-up of electoral rolls, meetings with leaders of recognised political parties and steps taken to address their complaints, status of Forms 6, 7 and 8, training centres for election officers and staff, and other aspects dealt by them.
ECI Directors Yashvendra Singh (election expenditure) and Santosh Ajmera (SVEEP programme), Principal Secretary Avinash Kumar, Under-Secretary Sanjay Kumar, A.P. Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena, Additional CEO M.N. Harendira Prasad, Joint CEO A. Venkateswara Rao, and State police nodal officer Vineet Brijlal were present.
