EC meets with DGPs and chief secys to finalize preparations
All chief secretaries, directors general of police (DGPs), and heads of central agencies, including border guarding forces, received orders from the Election Commission of India (EC) on Wednesday to guarantee smooth Lok Sabha elections.
Senior officials from all throughout the nation, including those from states, union territories, and union ministries of home and defense, attended a high-level review meeting hosted by the poll panel, and they were also requested to take preventative action to ease tensions between different communities.
This newspaper was informed by a senior EC official that the directives were intended to preserve law and order, stop illegal activity, and protect the integrity of the electoral process. The official also mentioned that the recent violence in Manipur and its implications for conducting a peaceful election were taken into consideration.
They claimed that the authorities had been urged to move quickly to support those who have been internally displaced and guarantee their participation in the voting process.
The poll panel claimed in a statement that Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar “said in his remarks that it is the’most important and crucial’ deliberation that takes place every five years of the election cycle.”
According to the statement, the EC called the conference to get all parties involved on the same page so that authorities from neighboring states and UTs could coordinate and work together seamlessly.
“Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployment, logistical support for CAPF movement, identification and monitoring of potential flashpoints, preemptive measures to address communal tensions, and securing porous borders against illegal activities were among the key issues discussed during the meeting,” a senior EC official said.
It was discussed how to stop the flow of illegal goods over international borders, including “narcotics, liquor, arms, and explosives.”
He said that instructions have also been sent out to determine the entrance and departure ports for the trafficking of illegal products.
As representatives of the Ministry of Defence attended the conference, the panel examined the Indian Air Force’s assistance in providing sorties to transport voting teams in difficult areas of eleven states, such as Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.
