ECI team reviews election preparedness in Punjab

Ludhiana, May 24, 2024: A delegation of the Election Commission of India (ECI) led by Deputy Election Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar reviewed the election preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls 2024 on Friday. 

Kumar was accompanied by Special Expenditure Observer of Punjab and Haryana, BR Balakrishnan, ECI Secretary Soumyajit Ghosh, CEO Punjab Sibin C, ADGP-cum-State Police Nodal officer M F Farooqui and others.

During the meeting, the ECI team directed all Election Observers, District Election Officers (DEOs), Commissioners of Police (CPs), Zonal Commissioners, DIG Ranges, Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) to strengthen surveillance in the districts especially near the inter-state and international border to prevent any cross-border movement of illicit cash, liquor, drugs, or freebies. Additionally, the ECI team emphasized upon the need to enhance vigilance for checking drone movement near the International Border.

The ECI team urged officials to ensure free, fair, peaceful, and inducement-free elections and encouraged all stakeholders to work together to maintain the integrity of the electoral process. The team also instructed the DEOs to make adequate arrangements for voter comfort due to the heat wave on polling day, June 1, this included provisions such as fans, desert coolers, sheds, sweetened water, lemon water and ORS packets to ensure a positive voting experience for the voters. 

Furthermore, the team emphasized upon the importance of ensuring high voter turnout, aiming to surpass previous trends and achieve a voter turnout exceeding 70 percent. The ECI delegation directed the officials to ensure that polling process is completed peacefully and the voters should not face any trouble at the polling stations. 

Punjab CEO Sibin C assured the team that they would conduct the elections smoothly and transparently on June 1. 

Deputy Election Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar emphasized that the elections should be conducted peacefully and in transparent manner, he said that it should be ensured that the festive of democracy should be celebrated with fanfare and pride.