Nominations for the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab are set to begin on May 7. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has designated general and police observers for all 13 seats in Punjab to ensure the conduct of peaceful, fair, and transparent elections.
These officials will commence their duties on May 14, as per a statement from the Punjab Information and Public Relations Department. Sibin C, Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), stated that 13 IAS officers from different states have been appointed as general observers, while seven IPS officers will serve as police observers. Their primary responsibility is to enforce the regulations and directives of the ECI throughout the electoral process, particularly regarding the Model Code of Conduct.
Among the IAS officers appointed as general observers are K Mahesh (Batch 2009) for Gurdaspur, Siddharth Jain (2001) for Amritsar, Abhimanyu Kumar (2011) for Khadoor Sahib, J Meghanatha Reddy (2013) for Jalandhar, R Anandakumar (2003) for Hoshiarpur, Heera Lal (2010) for Anandpur Sahib, Divya Mittal (2013) for Ludhiana, Rakesh Shankar (2004) for Fatehgarh Sahib, Roohi Khan (2013) for Faridkot, Kapil Meena (2010) for Ferozepur, S Prabhakar (2009) for Bathinda, Shanavas S (2012) for Sangrur, and Om Prakash Bakoria (2006) for Patiala, as stated in the release.
Likewise, police observers include IPS officers such as Kushal Pal Singh (Batch 2014) for Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seats, Sweta Shrimali (2010) for Amritsar and Khadoor Sahib, Satish Kumar Gajbhiye (2002) for Jalandhar and Ludhiana, Sandeep Gajanan Diwan (2010) for Anandpur Sahib and Fatehgarh Sahib, B Shankar Jaiswal (2001) for Bathinda and Faridkot, AR Damodhar (2013) for Ferozepur and Amir Javed (2012) for Sangrur and Patiala Lok Sabha seats.
Additionally, the release mentioned that 15 serving IRS officers have already been appointed by ECI as Expenditure observers. In Punjab, voting for its 13 seats will take place in a single phase, with the seventh and final phase on June 1 witnessing voting in Gurudaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Firozpur, Bathinda, Sangrur, and Patiala constituencies.
