ITANAGAR, 29 May: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain on Friday reviewed preparations for the upcoming biennial election to the Rajya Sabha (RS) and directed officials to ensure that all arrangements are in place for a smooth, transparent and efficient electoral process.
Chairing a coordination meeting at Nirvachan Bhavan here with officials of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and the Information and Public Relations (IPR) Department, Sain outlined the election schedule and key responsibilities of various departments, an official statement said.
He said that polling for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state will be held on 18 June and the election process will be completed by 20 June.
The CEO said the election is being conducted as the term of one Rajya Sabha member representing Arunachal is due to expire on 23 June.
Sain said that the notification for the election will be issued on 1 June, while the last date for filing nominations is 8 June. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on 9 June and candidates can withdraw their nominations till 11 June.
Polling will be conducted from 9 am to 4 pm on 18 June, followed by counting of votes at 5 pm on the same day, he said.
Sain said that the secretary of the Legislative Assembly has been appointed as the returning officer and the deputy secretary as the assistant returning officer. The relevant notifications will be published in the Extraordinary Gazette of the state on 1 June.
During the meeting, officials finalised a series of measures to ensure smooth conduct of the election.
The returning officer was directed to ensure proper maintenance of the electoral college list, make arrangements for polling and counting personnel, and coordinate logistics, accommodation and security for election observers.
The CEO also reviewed arrangements for ballot boxes, printing of ballot papers, voting compartments and custody of election materials.
Officials were told that only prescribed violet sketch pens supplied by the returning officer would be used for marking preferences on ballot papers.
To ensure that officials are fully prepared, the CEO’s office will organise a training programme for the returning officer, assistant returning officer and polling and counting personnel on 5 June.
A mock drill at the state Legislative Assembly will also be conducted to familiarise polling teams with election-day procedures.
As part of measures to enhance transparency, live webcasting of the polling process will be carried out, and video footage of the proceedings will be submitted to the Election Commission within the prescribed timeline.
The meeting further decided that the IPR Department would coordinate publicity related to candidates’ criminal antecedents and political parties, while Doordarshan Kendra would assist in disseminating election-related information and publicity in accordance with Election Commission guidelines.
The returning officer will also coordinate with police authorities to ensure adequate security arrangements at polling and counting venues.
The meeting was attended by Joint Chief Electoral Officer Liken Koyu, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Shania Kayem Mize and officials from the Legislative Assembly, IPR Department and Doordarshan Kendra.
During the interaction, Sain also briefed participants on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, aimed at including all eligible voters while removing ineligible entries from the rolls.
He described the IPR department, Doordarshan and All India Radio as key partners in promoting transparency, voter awareness and public confidence in the electoral process, and urged them to designate nodal officers for effective coordination with the CEO’s office. (PTI)
