Lok Sabha election: Election Commission appoints general, police observers in Punjab

Chandigarh, May 6

The Election Commission has appointed general and police observers for 13 seats in Punjab to ensure peaceful and transparent elections.

They will assume their responsibilities from May 14, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said in a statement.

The nomination process for the Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will commence on May 7.

Sibin C said 13 IAS officers from various states have been appointed as general observers, while seven IPS officers have been appointed as police observers.

Their role is to ensure adherence to the rules and directives of the ECI during the elections, regarding the Model Code of Conduct, he said.

Among the IAS officers who have been appointed as general observers are K Mahesh for Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat, Siddharth Jain for Amritsar, Abhimanyu Kumar for Khadoor Sahib, J Meghanatha Reddy for Jalandhar, Dr. R. Anandakumar for Hoshiarpur and Dr Heera Lal for Anandpur Sahib.

Divya Mittal has been appointed for Ludhiana, Rakesh Shankar for Fatehgarh Sahib, Roohi Khan for Faridkot, Kapil Meena for Ferozepur, Dr S Prabhakar for Bathinda, Shanavas for Sangrur and Om Prakash Bakoria for Patiala Lok Sabha seat.

Police observers include IPS officers Kushal Pal Singh for Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seats, Sweta Shrimali for Amritsar and Khadoor Sahib, Satish Kumar Gajbhiye for Jalandhar and Ludhiana, Sandeep Gajanan Diwan for Anandpur Sahib and Fatehgarh Sahib, B Shankar Jaiswal for Bathinda and Faridkot, A.R. Damodhar for Ferozepur and Amir Javed for Sangrur and Patiala Lok Sabha seats.

Fifteen IRS officers have already been appointed as expenditure observers.