EC orders police randomisation in presence of observers on poll day

Seeking to enhance transparency, the Election Commission has ordered that now onwards the randomisation of state police personnel to be deployed at polling stations on voting day will be carried out in the presence of central police observers deployed in constituencies.
Randomisation of police personnel deployed on poll duty ensures neutrality, with local police deployed outside their current station areas to avoid bias.
In a letter to state chief electoral officers and DGPs on Monday, the EC said for all future Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, “Randomisation of the state police personnel deployed at the polling station on the day of poll shall be done in the presence of police observer(s) deployed for the constituencies in that district.”
An official said district superintendents of police carry out randomisation of state police personnel. “They will continue to do so. But now the exercise will be done in the presence of police observers,” the official said.
Assembly polls are likely to take place in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Assam and West Bengal in April and the new procedure will be implemented in these states.
Besides state police and state armed police, central forces are also deployed during elections to maintain law and order, protect polling stations, ensuring safety of vulnerable voters and securing EVM strong rooms.
The EC said the new directions should be brought to the notice of all district election officers, SPs, police commissioners, returning officers and sector officers.