Bhubaneswar: A team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) comprising Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Arun Goel conducted a comprehensive review of election preparedness in Odisha today.
Over two days, high-level meetings were held with key officials from the state government and enforcement agencies to assess the readiness for the upcoming simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assembly of Odisha.
The day commenced with discussions involving the CEO, State Police Nodal Officers, and CPF Nodal Officer, focusing on crucial aspects of election management. Subsequently, a meeting convened with representatives from various enforcement agencies such as NCB, State CT&GST, CISF, BSF, RBI, ED, and the IT Department to ensure a collaborative approach towards maintaining electoral integrity emphasizing the importance of coordinated efforts among all stakeholders to facilitate a seamless electoral process.
The delegation of ECI included Senior Deputy Election Commissioners Dharmendra Sharma and Mr. Nitesh Vyas, Deputy Election Commissioner Manoj Kumar Sahu, Director General of Media, B. Narayanan, and The Economic Director of the Commission Pankaj Shrivastava.
The CEO cum ACS Nikunja Bihari Dhala and ACEO Dr N. Thirumala Naik were also actively involved in all the discussions with various stakeholders. In the afternoon, the ECI took a meeting with the Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena and DG, Police Arun Kumar Sarangi and discussed various issues related to the election preparedness.
The visit culminated with a press conference where Chief Election Commissioner Kumar and the ECI team addressed the media, shedding light on different dimensions of the upcoming simultaneous election and reaffirming their commitment to ensuring a fair and transparent electoral process in Odisha.
