Bihar Poll: Election Commission to deploy IPS officers as police observers; PSU officials to be roped in as micro observers

Election Commissioners while announcing Bihar poll dates on September 9

THE Election Commission of India has planned to deploy some IPS officers as police observers at the district level during the forthcoming Bihar poll, the dates of which were announced on Wednesday. The state having 243 assembly constituencies will go to polls in five phases starting from...
October 12 and ending on November 5. The results of the crucial Bihar polls which is witnessing a straight contest between BJP-led NDA and JD(U)-RJD-Congress maha-alliance, will be announced on November 8.
The police observers will be deployed depending upon the "need and sensitivity". "They will monitor all activities relating to force deployment, law and order situation and co-ordinate between civil and police administration to ensure free and fair election", according to the statement issued by the Election Commission on Wednesday.
Further, the Commission will deploy "micro observers" to observe poll proceedings in the polling stations on the polling day in "selected critical polling stations".
The EC said, those micro observers would be chosen from the pool of Central government or Central PSU officials.
"Micro observers will observe the proceedings at the polling stations on the poll day right from the mock poll to the completion of poll and the process of sealing the EVMs and other documents to ensure that all instructions of the Commission are complied with by political parties and the polling agents", said the EC.
Meanwhile, the Commission has instructed the state government "not to associate any officer with the electoral process against whom charges have been framed in a court of law in any case".