The Election Commission (EC) today asked observers for Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra to strictly follow rules and standard operating procedures.Around 500 officers drawn from IAS, IPS as also from Indian Revenue Service and few other central services attended a briefing, the ECI said in a statement.These officers are being deployed as General, Police and Expenditure Observers.During the meeting, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora emphasised on the crucial role of observers for conducting elections in transparent, participative and voter-friendly manner, more so for persons with disabilities and senior citizens who need assistance."The observers should ensure strict compliance of the EC's rules and standard operating procedures... The officers need to be extremely careful to ensure that no mistakes are committed. The observers as EC-appointed nominees need to be vigilant, neutral and responsive in their approach to all stakeholders at the field level," Arora .
