With the Assam Legislative Assembly elections drawing closer, officials held a comprehensive review meeting in Kamrup Metropolitan district on Wednesday to assess election readiness and ensure a free and fair polling process.
The session was chaired by District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Swapnil Paul and was held at the conference hall of the District Election Office.
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The meeting brought together a senior group of central observers deputed by the Election Commission of India.
General Observers Pradeep Kumar Krishnarao Dange and Him Shekhar Gupta (IAS), Expenditure Observers Ranjan Prakash and Rajat Sen (IRS), and Police Observer Aslam Khan (IPS) were all present. Representatives from recognised national and state political parties also attended.
Partha Sarathi Mahanta, Commissioner of Guwahati Police, and other key election personnel were also part of the proceedings.
Officials went through several critical aspects of election preparedness during the meeting, including adherence to the Model Code of Conduct, polling station arrangements, strong room security, standard polling procedures, and the monitoring of candidate expenditure.
The District Election Officer urged all political parties to strictly follow the Model Code of Conduct and comply with Election Commission of India guidelines to ensure a smooth and transparent electoral process.
Party representatives were also invited to attend a follow-up meeting with polling officials, scheduled for March 26 at 4 pm.
Separately, General Observer Pradeep Kumar Krishnarao Dange conducted on-ground inspections of 44 polling stations across Guwahati, including S.B. Deorah College and Ulubari Higher Secondary School, to directly assess their readiness for polling day.
He also reviewed training sessions currently being held for presiding officers at the same venues, ensuring that election personnel are adequately prepared for their responsibilities on the ground.