The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday held a briefing for 15 retired civil servants who have been appointed as special observers for the Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand elections before they left for the States.
“Fifteen former civil servants who hold impeccable and brilliant track record of domain expertise and have past experience with election processes, have been included in the team as special observers for the current poll going states…These officers will oversee the entire poll processes as eyes and ears of the commission on the ground to ensure free, fair and voter friendly elections,” a statement from the poll body said.
Addressing the special observers, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said the officials needed to be vigilant and inform the Commission if any corrective steps were required.