Assam Assembly election: Election Commission team reviews poll preparedness in state

Guwahati: A team of senior officials of the Election Commission of India, headed by its Director-General Dharmendra Sharma, visited Assam to review the preparedness for the forthcoming assembly elections in the state. Sharma was accompanied by ECI’s Senior PrincipalSecretary Narendra N Butolia and Secretary Ajoy Kumar Verma, an official release said on Tuesday. The team reviewed the follow-up action taken after the chief election commissioner’s visit to the state from 18 to 20 January. It assessed the progress made on the provision of assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) at polling stations, creation of auxiliary polling stations and targetted Systematic Voters’Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities, especially for low voter turnout polling stations. The team also focussed on facilitating voting of people with disabilities and elderly persons above the age of 80 years by maintaining COVID-19 protocol. The members stressed vulnerability mapping, training of personnel and ICT platforms, formation and functioning of election cells at the district level, electoral roll update and assessment of the law and order situation. The ECI team arrived in the state on Sunday evening and visited some polling stations in Nagaon and Kamrupdistricts on Monday morning. They held a meeting with officials of 11 districts and heads of enforcement departments. A video conference was held with deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and returning officers of the remaining 22 districts to evaluate the situation and poll preparedness in these districts. A meeting was also held with senior police and CRPFofficers to take stock of the prevalent law and order situation. The three-day visit of the team concluded with a meeting with Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah and secretaries of different departments of the state. Election to the 126-member state assembly is due in March-April.