Roll up sleeves for LS polls: AROs told

Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, April 30

General Election Observer (GEO) for Jalandhar parliamentary elections, I Samuel Anand Kumar and Police Observer (PO) Rajiv Anand today asked the Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) to get ready for conducting the ensuring Lok Sabha polls in a free, fair and independent manner.

Presiding over a meeting with the AROs and Police Officers here, the GEO and PO, accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Varinder Kumar Sharma; Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar; and Senior Superintendent of Police Navjot Singh Mahal; said the responsibility of the AROs, who were the backbone of the Lok Sabha polls, had enhanced and the onus of conducting the polls lie on the shoulders of the AROs.

Therefore, right from the training of the polling staff to finalizing the arrangements for the polling day, the entire work should be done in a systematic and foolproof manner.

The GO and PO said the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) must be enforced zealously. They said: “Strict monitoring of Video Surveillance Teams (VST), Static Surveillance Teams (SST) and Flying Squad Teams (FST) must be ensured.”

“Special arrangements must be made for the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) at the polling booths, adding that special volunteers must be deployed at the booths to facilitate the PWD voters,” they added.

The officials also stated that from May 1, they would visit all assembly segments falling in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha segment to have the on the ground assessment of the arrangements made by the administration for the polls. They also asked the AROs to visit the vulnerable areas identified by them as a part of the confidence-building measure.

Taking part in deliberations the Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police assured the Election Observers that the administration was duty-bound to ensure the polls in a free, fair and transparent manner.

They said the administration had well-oiled machinery which was already on the task of completing the democratic process in a successful manner.

They asked the AROs and their Police counterparts to have frequent meetings for the better synchronization of their efforts.