ECI wants randomisation of police personnel before their deployment to polling stations 

ECI directs State officials to ensure randomisation of police personnel, provide training to video surveillance teams, dispose of pending forms, ensure candidates & agents download C-Vigil App, monitor media channels & take corrective action.

The Election Commission of India has directed the State election officials to ensure that randomisation of police personnel, who are drafted for duties at polling stations, should be completed before their deployment to the respective polling stations.

Steps should be taken to see that police personnel drafted for duties are deployed in such a manner that the polling stations that are allocated to them fall outside the jurisdiction of the police stations where they are presently posted. The nodal officers concerned are directed to prepare list of Do’s and Don’ts for the police personnel deployed on duty at polling stations.

Special observers appointed by the ECI — Ajay Naik, Deepak Mishra and R. Balakrishna (all retired officials) — gave this directions during a special session with the nodal officers of Commercial Taxes and Excise departments on Monday. They suggested that training should be provided to all video surveillance teams on video-graphing political programmes with cameras and “clearly not with mobile phones”.

The ECI officials directed the State officials to complete disposal of pending forms (Form VI) by November 10 and wanted all the complaints relating to electoral roll received in every district should be listed out along with phone number of complainant and resolution details. Observers had been directed to look into these registers on a random basis to verify disposal of complaints.

They wanted all the returning officers/assistant returning officers to ensure that all candidates and their election agents downloaded the C-Vigil App on their mobiles and steps should be taken to give publicity about the App. The ECI team clarified that the district election officer and the police officials concerned should prepare the list of polling stations where videography was required outside the polling station. The footage of the CCTV cameras would be made available in the police control room as well.

Regarding the arrangements on the polling day, they suggested that officials at State and district levels should continuously monitor the media channels. In case of any negative coverage, the nodal officer should immediately find the factual details and communicate back to the media house asking them to telecast the administrative version as well.