Telangana: Election Commission begins groundwork for Assembly elections

Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun preparations for Assembly elections in the State which is ready for polls this year-end. The EC has instructed the State authorities to conduct a technical study of the functioning of all EVMs available in the State.

Training for all level officials involved in the election duty would begin from May this year. A three-member team is visiting the State to ascertain the poll related arrangements. A three-member team of senior officials from the Election Commission, led by senior deputy Election Commissioner I Nitesh Vyas held a meeting with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas Raj here on Saturday and discussed preparations for the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections.

Nitesh Vyas reviewed electoral rolls updations, including additions and deletions. He instructed the officials to constantly monitor electoral rolls and ensure a foolproof list. He directed the CEO to prepare and update a comprehensive list of returning officers (ROs) across the State. The ECI officials further directed the State-level officers to commence the first level of checking of electronic voting machines (EVMs) from June. In addition, they also directed the CEO to schedule a two-day workshop for all District Election Officers (DEOs) to be conducted by ECI. The functioning of the ERPNET.2.0 was reviewed.

Vikas Raj said that that EVMs supplied by Electronic Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) have been positioned in the districts after testing. The ECI senior level officials instructed to plan for a robust training to all levels of officials involved in election duties. They emphasised the importance of maximum voter participation in polling and urged for an increase in SVEEP activities to increase poll percentage.

The meeting was also attended by Avinash Kumar, Principal Secretary, Election Commission of India, Sanjay Kumar, under secretary, ECI and Ravi Kiran, joint CEO.