Odisha Govt To Strictly Follow ECI Guidelines: Chief Secy

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will strictly adhere to the guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the ensuing simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state, said chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi on Friday.

Briefing mediapersons after a meeting with the 6-member ECI team here, Padhi said he had briefed all the departments about the ECI guidelines and directed them to strictly abide by it during the elections.

Law and order issue was discussed in details, he said.

The Chief Secretary further said that the ECI team also discussed necessary arrangements to be made at the booths.

“Since the polling will be held during the summer, the ECI team underscored the need for uninterrupted power supply and adequate supply of drinking water at all the booths,” he said.

Also present at the meeting, Director General of Police (DGP) Dr RP Sharma said the State Police will give top priority on the law and order during the elections.

“As decided at the meeting, security will be tightened in Maoist-prone districts of Odisha while State Police will remain in constant touch with their counterparts in the neighbouring states to collect intelligence report on the movement of the Left-wing extremists along the bordering areas. Apart from this, special security provisions will be made to keep a close watch on the critical booths and efforts will be made to foil any attempt to influence the voters through money. Stern action will be taken against the anti-social elements if found creating disturbance during the polling,” the DGP pointed out.