Election Commission holds briefing for observers in poll-bound States

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday (February 5, 2026) began briefings for General, Police and Expenditure Observers to be deployed as Central Observers for the elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

A total of 1,444 officers, including 714 General Observers, 233 Police Observers and 497 Expenditure Observers, have been called for the briefing meetings which will be held in three batches over two days from February 5-6.

The briefing was done by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The CEC said the observers should ensure free, fair and transparent elections and said their presence would energise the entire election machinery across 824 constituencies where elections were going to be held.

Senior EC officials also briefed the observers on various aspects of preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections. The observers were also briefed on the IT applications and platforms, and media-related matters during the sessions.

They were asked to familiarise themselves with all the election laws, rules, guidelines and provide inputs directly to the commission and ensure their strict and impartial compliance. They were instructed to remain fully accessible to political parties, candidates and ensure that the grievances of voters were redressed in a timely manner.

The observers were also instructed to visit polling stations and ensure the implementation of the recent initiatives taken by the commission for the convenience of voters, especially ensuring the provision of Assured Minimum Facilities (AMFs).