Delhi: Poll panel says it need 150K staff to conduct MCD elections

An SEC official said that the commission has started sending letters to various government departments and authorities to identify officials and make them available for poll duties.

The Delhi State Election Commission will need nearly 150,000 officials to conduct the municipal corporation elections in Delhi that are due to be held in April, an official of the poll panel said.

Since the commission has decided to increase the number of polling booths to avoid crowding in view of the Covid pandemic, more personnel will be required for election work. (AFP)

The official who asked not to be named said that the commission has started sending letters to various government departments and authorities to identify officials and make them available for poll duties.

“For the smooth conduct of elections, we have asked various departments such as municipal corporations, public works department, Delhi Development Authority, and the central and state government to furnish the list of officials who can be deployed on election duty. We will require at least 31,000 polling, reception and counting parties,” the official said.

Since the commission has decided to increase the number of polling booths to avoid crowding in view of the Covid pandemic, more personnel will be required for election work.

A total of 3,300 sector officers will be appointed by the smooth conduct of election, the official said. “For the conduct of elections for 272 wards of three municipal corporations, the commission has sought 26,500 polling parties and 3,500 parties for reception and counting duties. Each polling party comprises of five officials and other groups consist of four officials each,” one such letter seen by HT states.

Official said that of the total 3,300 sector officers, at least 900 will be provided by the corporations, 1,500 will be nominated by the education department, 300 by training and technical department, 300 by the DDA and 300 by PWD. The commission will also appoint 82 election observers and 82 expenditure observers.

“The lists of employees are expected to be submitted in second half of February,” an SDMC official said.

ON January 25, the SEC issued the notification for appointment of 72 returning officers. The election commission has appointed 16 officers as returning cum scrutinizing officers for East Delhi Municipal Corporation and 28 officers have been appointed each for North and South MCD. The East MCD has 64 wards, and the North and South bodies have 104 wards each.

Each returning officer has been entrusted with registrations of thee to five municipal wards. “The officers who have been deployed as returning officers are mostly sub divisional magistrates and additional district magistrates of those areas,” an SEC official said.