Jammu: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Shailendra Kumar today interacted with all the District Election Officers (Deputy Commissioners) through Video Conferencing (VC) and discussed the election management action plans for the forthcoming Elections in the State after the last date of disposal of claims and objections under SSR-2019.
During the marathon discussions, the CEO obtained detailed feedback from each district regarding the steps initiated and their requirements for the smooth conduct of elections. The issues that prominently figured and were discussed in the VC included, functioning of District Contact Centers (DCCs), creation of necessary infrastructure for the polling stations, status of polling stations, facilities of webcasting in the polling stations, requirement and movement of EVMs, progress under SVEEP programme, communication plan, transport facilities for the polling parties, security management, celebration of National Voter’s Day, appointment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) by various political parties, publication of electoral rolls, imparting of training to the polling staff and several other allied issues related to the election process.
The CEO called upon all the DEOs to put in place all the necessary arrangements well in time to facilitate smooth election in the State. He laid stress on strengthening the DCCs with trained manpower and dedicated communication network to facilitate the citizens with their election related queries and complaints. The CEO also directed the DEOs to hold frequent interactions with the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to sensitize them of their role and to get feedback on election related activities. He also directed for addressing their critical issues on priority and equipping them appropriately so that they can perform their duties more efficiently.
Shailendra asked the DEOs to approach the political parties of their areas to appoint their BLAs expeditiously to facilitate and coordinate with the election authorities in the electoral process. He said BLAs function as a bridge between the election authorities and political parties and help in election process. He also called for attending the election related issues/complaints of the political parties on priority.
