ECI Appoints 35 Gujarat-Cadre IAS and 10 IPS Officers as Election Observers for Assembly Polls in Five States
In a major administrative exercise ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed 35 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and 10 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from the Gujarat cadre to serve as election observers in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
According to sources in the Gujarat government, formal communication has already been issued to the selected officers, directing them to report to the Election Commission as per instructions. The deployment of these officers is part of the Commission’s mandate to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections across all poll-bound states.
Training Scheduled for Early February
Government officials confirmed that the training programme for the selected officers will begin in the first week of February. The sessions will prepare them for their responsibilities as central observers, including monitoring election preparedness, law and order, expenditure, polling processes, and compliance with the Model Code of Conduct.
During the deputation period, the Gujarat government will reassign additional charges to other officers to maintain uninterrupted administrative functioning within the state.
List of IAS Officers Selected as Election Observers
The 35 Gujarat-cadre IAS officers nominated by the ECI for election duties:
Arti Kanwar
Sandeep Kumar
Roopwant Singh
Swaroop P
Pravin Solanki
Avantika Singh Aulakh
Rakesh Shankar
Raj Kumar Beniwal
Rajesh Manjhu
Rajendra Kumar
Rahul Gupta
P Bharathi
Ranjeet Kumar J
Harshad Patel
Alok Pandey
Jenu Devan
Sandip Sagale
Dilip Rana
Ardra Agarwal
Ranjit Kumar Singh
Dhaval Patel
Mahesh Patel
M Nagarajan
Praveena D K
Kuldeep Arya
Vijay Kharadi
Ratankanvar Gadhavicharan
Ajay Prakash
D D Jadeja
Amit Arora
Harshit Gosavi
Stuti Charan
Ashish Kumar
Prabhav Joshi
Neha Kumari
List of IPS Officers Selected for Election Duties
In addition, the following 10 Gujarat-cadre IPS officers have been chosen to perform election-related responsibilities:
A G Chauhan
Bipin Ahire
P L Mal
Makrand Chauhan
Vishal Vaghela
Deepak Meghani
Nirlipt Rai
Chaitanya Mandlik
Hitesh Joysar
Mayur Patil
Gujarat Government to Manage Administrative Adjustments
With a large number of senior officers proceeding on election duty, the Gujarat government will implement temporary charge arrangements to ensure smooth governance during their absence. Officials emphasized that administrative continuity will be maintained while officers are deployed in poll-bound states.
ECI’s Observer System: Safeguarding Electoral Integrity
The appointment of IAS and IPS officers as election observers is a cornerstone of the ECI’s supervisory framework. Observers play a crucial role in overseeing election management, ensuring compliance with electoral laws, and safeguarding the integrity of the democratic process. Their responsibilities include monitoring campaign expenditure, law and order, polling arrangements, and adherence to the Model Code of Conduct in their assigned constituencies.
This large-scale deployment underscores the Commission’s commitment to conducting elections that are credible, impartial, and transparent, reinforcing public trust in India’s democratic institutions.
