EC Appoints Observers for Jubilee Hills Bypolls
The observers will monitor all aspects of the election process, including law and order, enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, and expenditure by political parties and candidates.
Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed three officers to oversee various aspects of the November 11 Jubilee Hills Assembly byelection and ensure that it is conducted in a fair, transparent, and peaceful manner.
IAS officer Ranjit Kumar Singh has been designated general observer, IPS officer Om Prakash Tripathi as police observer, and IRS officer Sanjiv Kumar Lal as the expenditure observer.
The observers will monitor all aspects of the election process, including law and order, enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, and expenditure by political parties and candidates. Citizens and party representatives have been encouraged to contact them with complaints related to expenditure, peace, or code violations.
At a meeting with general observer Ranjit Kumar Singh, Hyderabad district election officer (DEO) and GHMC commissioner R.V. Karnan presented a detailed overview of poll preparedness, covering manpower mobilisation, security arrangements, EVM management, expenditure control, and voter-awareness activities.
Singh urged officials and staff to maintain neutrality, diligence, and integrity at every stage of the electoral process. He also reviewed seizure data and noted that `2.25 crore had been seized so far in the ongoing by-election, compared to `90 lakh in the previous Assembly election, and called for strict enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
Police observer Om Prakash Tripathi described the byelection as “important and crucial” and directed officers to follow Election Commission protocols and complete all poll-related work on schedule.
After the meeting, the three observers, accompanied by the DEO, visited the returning officer’s office at the Shaikpet tahsildar office in Banjara Hills to inspect arrangements for the nomination process and review on-ground preparations. The observers will remain available until the completion of the by-election.
