New Delhi, March 18 (NationPress) The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Wednesday that it has mobilized over 25 lakh officials to guarantee that the forthcoming Assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory are carried out in a peaceful and inducement-free environment.

This announcement follows the schedule release for the General Elections pertaining to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, along with bye-elections in six other states.

To ensure a seamless and organized voting process across various phases in these five regions, the ECI has rallied a substantial workforce of election personnel.

According to the official statistics, more than 25 lakh officials have been assigned for this endeavor, while the total number of eligible voters exceeds 17.4 crore. This indicates that approximately one election official is designated for every 70 voters.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar highlighted that all officials must operate with absolute neutrality. He stressed that the aim is to facilitate elections devoid of violence and any form of inducement, enabling every voter to cast their vote freely.

The personnel deployed comprise around 15 lakh polling staff, 8.5 lakh security personnel, 40,000 counting staff, 49,000 micro observers, 21,000 sector officers, and about 15,000 additional micro observers specifically for counting duties.

At the grassroots level, over 2.18 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are available to assist voters via phone calls and through the Book-a-call to BLO feature on the ECINet mobile application.

Furthermore, a dedicated call center service is accessible at +91 (STD code) 1950 for addressing complaints or inquiries directed to District Election Officers and Returning Officers.

The ECI stated, "All personnel assigned are considered to be on deputation to the Election Commission as per Section 28A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951."

To enhance the monitoring framework, the Commission has appointed 1,111 Central Observers across 832 Assembly constituencies to serve as the Commission’s representatives on the ground during both the general elections and bye-elections.

This group includes 557 General Observers, 188 Police Observers, and 366 Expenditure Observers, with the majority already positioned in their respective constituencies.

These observers will publicly share their contact details and will engage with candidates, political party representatives, and community members at specified times each day to hear and address election-related concerns.