Election Personnel Deployment and Welfare Measures

1. Personnel Deployment & Welfare Measures

2. Categories of personnel required for various stages of elections A. Statutory Functions • District Election Officer • Returning Officer • Assistant Returning Officer • Additional Assistant Returning Officer( for counting) (Appointments are to be approved by the ECI on recommendation of the CEO)

3. B. Poll management • Officer in Charges and assistants for various functional cells • Master Trainers for imparting training in cascaded mode • EVM ground staff for preparation of EVMs for polls • Camera persons for covering MCC, Expenditure monitoring and other important activities • EEM/MCMC /FS/SST team members ( Appointments are to be made by DEO/RO)

4. c. Conduct of elections • Presiding Officers and Polling Officers @ 1+3 / PS + 20% • Micro observers @ 1 for PSL upto 3 PS, additional deployment at pro rata basis • Voter Assistance booth Staff /Help Desk @ 1 for PSL having 3 or more PS • Video camera (40%), Web camera (30%), CCTV (30%) • Booth Level Officers @1 per polling station • Sector Officers @ 4/5 PSL (10 -12 Polling Stations) • Area/Sector/Zonal Magistrates • DC/RC/Strong Room personnel (to avoid unnecessary manning) • Counting Supervisors and Assistants (@ 1+2 per table) • Additional Counting Staff (2 per Counting Hall) • Other Counting staff( Appointed by DEO/RO)

5. All Officers/officials related to election duties including police personnel shall be deemed to be on deputation of ECI during election process (Sec. 28-A of RP Act 1951)

6. Presiding Officers & Polling Officers Composition: • One Presiding Office • One First Polling Officer • One Second Polling Officer • One Third Polling Officer (+ 20% reserve)

7. Staff of Authorities/ Organisations that can be deployed as Presiding Officer & Polling Officers (i) Central Government and State Government (ii) Local Authority (iii) University established or incorporated by/ under a Central / State Govt. Act. (iv) Government Company (v) Institution, Concern or Undertaking which is established by / under Central / State Act or which is controlled / financed wholly / substantially by funds provided directly/ indirectly by Central/ State Govt.

8. Create District Database of eligible personnel which can facilitate computerized randomization. (i)Software - design as approved by ECI. (ii)Particulars like name, sex, age, residential address, residence AC, work place AC, designation, office, pay scale, phone No., part No., voter serial No., deployment category ,bank account number etc. (iii)Database be tested and operators be trained. (iv)Database to be comprehensive - no department be left out except those exempted by ECI. There should not be too much of strain on a particular department/organisation. (v)No contractual workers or Anganwadi workers. (vi)Bank employees only in contingency

9. Emphasis on • Preparation of database having exhaustive list of all employees of State Govt/state govt undertaking/central govt/central govt undertaking offices in Format PP1. • Database of female personnel also to be prepared. • Stress on collection of data for Micro Observers • Employees data to be recorded in Format PP2. • Details of electoral particulars/bank details/mobile nos to be recorded.

10. New intervention • An online portal has been developed by NIC (wbppms) to manage PP matters, • All offices, in the district ( as in PP1) will be provided with userid & password by DEO for enabling offices to make data entry with respect to all employees in PP2, • DEO,SDO to have access with dedicated password to monitor data entry, • On completion of data entry (by 15.12.2018),data base will be sharable with approval of CEO. • Subsequently , randomization, appointment etc will be done through the portal online.

11. Officials not to be deployed in election duties • Officials working in CBI, IB and RAW and personnel working in essential services. • Sr. officers of Indian Forest Service, Veterinary Doctors and Compounders, Cattle Extension Officers, Medical Practitioners, Territorial staff of Wild Life/Sanctuary Deptt., Staff of AIR and Doordarshan. • Staff of commercial bank in rural area, where the bank has only one employee. • Operational staff of BSNL, UPSC and educational institutions (except in unavoidable circumstances)

12. Officials against whom ECI recommended disciplinary action or who have been charged for lapses in election related duties. • Officials against whom criminal case is pending. • Physically challenged persons in polling duty • Where female employees are engaged in polling duty, guidelines of ECI on maintenance of security and privacy to be followed.

13. Grouping and formation of polling party • PrO and POs to be classified on the basis of pay, post and rank. • PrOs should be Gazetted Officers and failing that official who are working in supervisory capacity should be deployed. • Proper mix up of personnel. Two officials of the same group/category or from same deptt./office should not be put together - Certificate regarding proper mix up.

14. One PrO + three POs in a polling party. In case of simultaneous elections for Legislative Assembly and House of People the norms is One PrO + 5 POs. • Where electors exceed 1200 one extra PO (ECI No. 464/INST/2008/EPS dt. 18.12.2008). • Persons not to be deployed in home AC or AC wherein he is posted.

15. Randomization of poll personnel (Three stage of randomisation process) • First stage - To identify and select required number of polling personnel for district. In the appointment letter (in prescribed format as given in RO Hand book) the identity of AC not to be disclosed. Polling personnel will know whether he/she is a PrO or a PO, the venue and time of training. Presence of observers is not required at this stage. • Second stage - Polling parties shall be formed. AC may be known but actual PS will not be known. Observers must be present. • Third stage - At the time of dispersal of polling party allocation of PS will be done. Presence of observers is must.

16. Polling Personnel -2nd randomization • ECI no 464/INST/2014-EPS dt 28.3.2014 • Can be done as soon as after the completion of scrutiny of nomination papers. • Should be done in presence of the Observer.

17. Randomization of polling personnel-stages and information to contain

18. Certificate regarding formation of polling parties on the basis of three stage randomisation process be given by DEO to ECI through and separately to CEO. • Certified that:- (I) The polling parties have been formed by a proper mix of officials drawn from different offices and departments, in presence of Observers and (II) The officers have been drawn from the State Government departments as well as from the State Public Undertaking etc. as far as practicable. (III) For the purpose of making polling parties complete data base of all eligible employees in the district has been used.”

19. Micro Observers • Central Government employees in the rank of Gazetted officers/officials of Central Govt. and Central Govt. PSUs to be deployed Micro Observer duties. • DEO will prepare database for Micro Observer well in advance. • Will be actually deployed randomly after consultation with Observer. • Should not be deployed in Home Constituency or where he works. • To remain available at the time of scrutiny on p+1 day.

20. Sector Officers • Will be deployed amongst gazetted/junior officers. • Should have well acquaintance with the constituency area. • Will be deployed well in advance of the poll at least from the date of announcement of the poll. • Will subsequently be appointed as Sector Magistrates under due approval of the state government.

21. Voter Assistance Booth Staff • Two personnel will be deployed for polling premises having three or more polling stations • Will be deployed by the RO • Will be engaged for poll day only.

22. Counting Supervisors and Assistants • Counting Supervisors and Counting Assistants to be selected from the staff data base. • Counting Supervisors should be Gazetted Officers and failing that official who are working in supervisory capacity should be deployed. • Appointment letter must not contain the table nos of the counting hall which is to be disclosed after randomization on the day of counting only.

23. Counting Micro Observers • Counting Micro Observers shall be present at counting tables,computer table and RO’s table. • Should be drawn from Public Sector banks.

24. Additional Counting Staff • Additional Counting Staff to be deployed from amongst Central government employees

25. Randomization of Counting Staff ( 3 phase)

26. Voting by Election personnel Form 12 to be given to all selected election personnel along with the appointment letter. Facilities like provision of searching ones’ name in the electoral roll ( computer with search engine facility) ,attestation by competent officer , drop box to be available at training centres which is also designated as facilitation center.

27. General instructions • Photo identity card in the prescribed format be issued by DEO/RO to PrO / PO / Counting Supervisors / Assistants, Camera / Video Supervisors/ BLO/ Voter Assistance Booth Staff/ All other staff associated with polling booth. Capturing of photographs of personnel at the time of first training be arranged. (ECI No. 464/Inst./2007/PLN-I dated 12-10-07) • Polling Parties to stay at polling stations itself - In no case they may be allowed to stay at the residence of any private person. • Arrangements for shelter and drinking water for polling personnel/ voters.

28. Training sessions for teaching staff be conducted on holidays or after working hours. [ECI's No. 509/65/2003/ J.S.I. dt. 28.1.08] • In case, the polling personnel is not a voter he should be enrolled in the roll and EPIC be issued - DEO should ensure it to sponsoring authority. • Micro Observer should, be enrolled as voter and EPIC issued.

29. Ex-Gratia Compensation in case polling personnel dies meaning of "election duty" (ECI's No. 218/6/2006/EPS dt. 5.11.2008)– • A person is to be considered on election duty as soon as he leaves his residence/office to report for any election related duty including training and until he reaches back his residence/office after performance of his election duty - There should be a causal connection between occurrence of death/injury and the election duty. • CEO to approve on recommendation of DEO. • For security personnel, Home Department will decide.

30. Mandatory PP welfare measures • Unit Concept- single counter at DC /RC for receiving/depositing materials & all other activities. • Colour coding- Distinct colour for every AS in a multi constituency DC/RC. • Perforated booklet – all forms in stitched booklet. • Arrangement of food and bed rolls by SHGs. • Interactive Portal in CEO web site for dissemination of information and meeting up queries. • SMS alert to PP for important events

32. Perforated booklet – all forms in stitched booklet.

33. Arrangement of food and bed rolls by SHGs.

34. Payment of honorarium through bank ECS • Transport grid for picking up and dropping polling personnel before and after poll. • Health Kit for polling party-consisting of basic medicines , hygiene items and instructions thereof. • Mapping of Referral hospital and ambulance with every polling station with due reflection in communication plan. • Reservation of beds in govt/non govt hospitals on poll days. • Tying up with hospitals for cashless treatment for PP falling ill during election duties. • Reimbursement against Hospitalisation of Polling Staff

35. While appointing election personnel, following points need to be adhered to: • Personnel who has worked for/on behalf of any political party /candidate must not be engaged. • Proper training to be imparted to all with training materials/booklets etc. • Welfare facilities must be provided to all personnel on duty. • Honorarium to be paid as per sanctioned rates only. Thanks