Bengaluru: To ensure free and fair Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the Chief Secretary of the State Government to depute officers from outside who neither belong to the Constituencies or districts, to the polling booths.

A team of senior Officers led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, who are on a three-day visit to the State arrived here yesterday, to review preparations for the forthcoming State Assembly elections, held a lengthy discussion with the Chief Secretary and Senior Officers.

The Election Commission of India has also sought a list of employees and officers transferred by the Government in the last six months. Besides, the Election Commission has also sought the list of employees who have been serving in the purview of same Assembly segment and district for the last three to five years and have sought transfer voluntarily. During the three-day visit, the team of Officers will be taking part in various programmes related to preparations for the elections. 

Soon after the arrival, ECI Officers summoned Chief Secretary to the State Government and held a discussion, followed by an interaction with the leaders of various political parties and international seminar on the topic ‘Inclusive Democracy and Entirety.’

The Chief Election Commissioner will be holding a meeting with the District Election Officers (DEOs) of all 34 districts today, about preliminary preparations related to elections. Later in the evening, the CEC will also inaugurate a special exhibition and walkathon  organised by the Office of Chief Electoral Officer and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) at Tata Auditorium and flag off LED vehicles to create awareness among voters.

In the special interaction programme that follows later, the election ambassadors, students, specially-abled and heads of educational institutions will take part.

On Saturday (Mar.11) morning, the ECI Officials will participate in various programmes and address a press conference later in the afternoon about the observations made during their three-day visit to State. They will be leaving for Bengaluru in the evening.