Hyderabad: ECI begins preparations for Assembly elections

Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has commenced the official process for conducting the upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana State, scheduled to take place at the end of this year. In order to ensure a fair and efficient electoral process, the commission has directed the State government to transfer officials who have completed three years in the same posting within the district and are directly associated with election-related tasks.

These instructions apply not only to officers appointed for specific election duties such as District Election Officers (DEOs), Deputy DEOs, Returning Officers/Assistant Returning Officers (RO/AROs), Electoral Registration Officers/Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (EROs/AEROs), and officers appointed as nodal officers for election-related work, but also to district officers including Additional District Magistrates (ADMs), Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs), Deputy Collectors/Joint Collectors, Tehsildars, Block Development Officers, or officers of equivalent rank who are directly involved in election-related tasks.

The instructions were also issued to officers in the police department, including Range Inspector Generals (IGs), Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs), Commandants of State Armed Police, Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), Superintendents of Police (SPs), Additional SPs, Sub-

Divisional Heads of Police, Station House Officers (SHOs), Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors, Reserve Inspectors/Sergeant Majors, or officers of equivalent rank responsible for security arrangements or deployment of police forces during elections. However, officers posted in functional departments like computerization, special branch, training, etc. are exempted from these instructions. Additionally, Police Sub-Inspectors and higher ranks should not be posted in their home districts.

Further, the Commission has directed that officers or officials who have been recommended for disciplinary action by the Commission in the past, with pending cases or penalties, or those charged with any lapses in previous elections or election-related work, should not be assigned any election-related duties.

The Commission also stated that officers or officials against whom criminal cases are pending in any court of law should not be associated with or deployed for election-related duties. Any officer due to retire within the next six months will be exempted from the Commission's directions. Transfer orders for officers or officials involved in the revision of electoral rolls, if applicable during an election year, will be implemented only after the final publication of the electoral rolls in consultation with the respective Chief Electoral Officer.