Officials hold meeting to identify expenditure-sensitive pockets in Karaikal

A meeting to identify and finalise expenditure-sensitive pockets in view of the 2026 Puducherry Assembly Election was held at the Karaikal District Collectorate on Saturday.

District Election Officer and Collector Ishita Rathi chaired the meeting, which was attended by General Expenditure Observers appointed by the Election Commission — V. Janardhanan, Piyush Kumar Angit, and Preeti Hooda.

Senior Superintendent of Police Laxmi Soujanya, along with Returning Officers, Assistant Returning Officers, officials in charge of election expenditure monitoring, and members of Flying Squad Teams, Static Surveillance Teams, and Video Surveillance Teams, participated.

According to an official release, detailed discussions were held on identifying expenditure-sensitive areas in the district. Constituency-wise data were reviewed and various aspects related to monitoring election expenditure during the poll period were examined.

Ms. Rathi stressed on the need for stringent surveillance in identified sensitive pockets and underscored the importance of close coordination between enforcement agencies and election authorities to ensure effective monitoring.

She directed the officials to strengthen surveillance mechanisms in accordance with the Election Commission’s guidelines and to take necessary steps without delay.

The meeting concluded with an emphasis on coordinated efforts among all departments to ensure effective functioning of election expenditure monitoring systems and the conduct of free, fair, and transparent elections.