Punjab election officials review poll preparedness

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on October 27 reviewed election preparedness in Punjab with the Chief Electoral Officer, State Police Nodal Officer and Central and State Enforcement Agencies ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The delegation also held a workshop to train officials in the technical and administrative procedures for the First Level Checking (FLC) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units.

The delegation included Senior Deputy Election Commissioners, Director Generals and other senior ECI officials. The review meeting focused on preparedness and coordination among enforcement agencies to ensure free and fair elections.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, the FLC process will begin in districts on November 12 and be conducted transparently in accordance with ECI instructions. District Election Officers will monitor the process daily.

Expert engineers from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) conducted practical demonstrations and hands-on training, followed by an evaluation and doubt-clearing session.

District Election Officers, Additional District Election Officers, FLC Nodal Officers, Master Trainers, BEL experts, and other officials attended the workshop. The workshop emphasised following prescribed protocols and maintaining transparency and caution throughout the process.

A separate review meeting with enforcement agencies was held to assess their preparedness and coordination for the upcoming elections.