Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajeev Kumar, conducted a comprehensive review of the preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections during a meeting with various enforcement agencies. Kumar provided crucial guidance to agency officers, emphasising the need for meticulous arrangements to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. Kumar stressed on the importance of taking stringent action against any attempts at voter inducement, emphasising the Election Commission of India’s guidelines as a foundation for operation. The meeting was attended by Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey, Arun Goyal, Senior Deputy Election Commissioners Dharmendra Sharma and Nitesh Vyas, Deputy Election Commissioners Hridesh Kumar, Manoj Kumar Sahu, R K Gupta, Ajay Bhadoo, Director General, B. Narayanan, Director, Yashvendra Singh, Director (IT) Ashok Kumar, Senior Principal Secretary N N Butolia, Principal Secretary S B Joshi, Joint Director Anuj Chandak and Under Secretary Ritesh Singh along with others. This assembly of officials discussed the minutiae of the preparations for the Vidhansabha Election 2023. Their focus lay in establishing inter-departmental coordination to overcome obstacles that could hinder fair elections and prevent the misuse of financial influence.

 

The meeting facilitated participation from various departments including Police, Income Tax, Excise, Forest, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, DRI, Transport Department, Narcotics Control Bureau, Reserve Bank, Airports Authority of India, CGST, SGST, Postal Department, Aviation Department, Enforcement Directorate, Indian Railways, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Authority. This collective effort aimed to ensure the effective removal of obstacles and the impartial utilisation of resources. Following this, the Chief Electoral Officer, Reena Babasaheb Kangale, delivered a comprehensive overview of the preparations for the Vidhansabha Elections 2023. O P Pal, Nodal Officer for Police also provided essential insights into security arrangements.