Poll observer reviews election arrangements

Election observer Sandeep Kumar, appointed to oversee MC polls in the district, convened a meeting of officials here on Thursday to ensure that free and fair elections are held in the district. Elections for the Amritsar Municipal Corporation are slated to be held on Saturday (December 21).

The election for the 13 wards of Khemkaran Nagar Panchayat and for the byelection to ward number 13 which is reserved for women in Bhikiwind Nagar Panchayat is also to be held on December 21 from 7 am to 4 pm.

The meeting convened by the election observer was presided over jointly by Deputy Commissioner –cum-District Election Officer Rahul and Senior Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Rana. The other officials too attended the meeting which was held at the District Administrative Complex (DAC).

The election observer called upon officials to abide by the instruction of the State Election Commission. The observer assessed the arrangements for polling booths, training of election staff, dispatch, collection centres, placing of EVMs in the strong rooms and the level of security.

Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Rahul apprised the election observer about the arrangements and said the administration was coordinating with the police department to conduct elections in a free and fair way. He informed the observer about the rehearsal of the election staff and other aspects related to polling and said that the instructions of the State Election Commission were being followed in their true spirit.

The Deputy Commissioner also informed the election observer that out of 13 wards of Nagar Panchayat in Khemkaran, candidates from eight wards have been elected unopposed. For the remaining five wards, there are 20 candidates in the fray for the Nagar Panchayat election in Khemkaran. Meanwhile, there are four candidates in the fight for the byelection from the lone ward number 13 (reserved for women) of Nagar Panchayat, Bhikhiwind.