Roles & responsibilities of Presiding Officers and team manning Polling Booth for smooth conduct of Poll highlighted
Port Blair, April 3: As part of the preparations for the ensuing General Elections -2024, the second round of training for the Presiding Officers and the Polling Officers was organised at the Dr. B R Ambedkar Institute of Technology (DBRAIT) auditorium here today. The Presiding Officers & Polling Officers engaged in Election duty for Port Blair Tehsil attended the training. Returning Officer, ANIPC/DC (SA), Shri Arjun Sharma, IAS, General Observer for ANIPC, Shri B.N Singh, IAS and other officials related to Election were present on the occasion.
In his address, the Returning Officer, ANIPC, Shri Arjun Sharma, IAS reminded the role & responsibilities of Presiding Officers and his entire team manning the Polling Booth for the smooth conduct of Polling on the day of election i.e., April 19, 2024. He further stated that it is very important for the officials engaged in Election Duty to set up their respective polling booth in a proper manner, taking extra care of the VVPAT machine. He said, mock polls have to be conducted without fail at 5.30 am on the polling day in the presence of the contesting candidate/agent to the extent possible. The RO further stated that polling kits will be issued to the Polling Teams from Netaji Stadium and they have to check whether all the items are available inside the kit before they leave for their respective Polling Stations. He further emphasised on two hourly poll reporting and filling up all the forms related to election on the polling day without fail and handing over the same at the EVM collection Centre.
Addressing the trainees, the General Observer for ANIPC, Shri B.N Singh, IAS said that the trainees have to take the training seriously for the smooth conduct of polling at their respective booth to avoid any hiccups on the poll day. He underlined the need for better co-ordination between Presiding Officers and the Polling Officers to ensure free and fair poll in ANIPC observing all the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. The General Observer also stressed that the Polling personnel are required to discharge their duties with full sense of responsibility, honesty and commitment. He further specified that the officials manning the Polling Booth have to complete all the election procedures step by step before the start of the Polling on the Poll day.
Initiating the training, the Resource person, Shri Som Naidu, DANICS (Retd.), through a power point presentation briefed about the roles and responsibilities of the Presiding Officers. Presiding Officers have enormous responsibility in conduct of election and they play a pivotal role in conduct of free and fair election in each Polling Station. Presiding Officers should follow scrupulously the prescribed election procedures to conduct the poll in a flawless manner at the Polling Station. Any error or irregularity in the process may vitiate the election. Shri Naidu further stated that the polling should start in all the polling booths sharp at 7 am without fail for which all the Polling Officials have to be in their respective booths early so as to complete all the formalities including mock polls for the smooth start of the voting on the day of poll.
Dr. A. Abraham apprised the participants about all the forms related to the upcoming Lok Sabha election at Polling Station and were trained how to fill it with special emphasis on filling Form 17C. They were also trained about how to conduct Mock Poll and sealing of EVMs. Later, training on EVM and VVPAT machine were carried out by the Master Trainer, Shri Joy Mathew.