Punjab elections 2027: EC team reaches Chandigarh; officers with 3 years in a district to be shifted before polls
A 10-member EC team is in Punjab on Oct 27–28. The Commission has also ordered officers to be moved out of home districts before the Assembly election
PTC Web Desk: With the Punjab Assembly election only a few months away, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the state to reshuffle officers linked to poll work. A 10-member ECI team has also reached Punjab to check how ready the state is.
New transfer rules for officers
Officers directly involved in the election cannot stay posted in their home district. Anyone who has completed three years in one district out of the last four, or will do so by the commission’s cut-off date, must be moved out.
The rules apply to police officers from sub-inspectors (SIs) up to senior ranks if they handle election security or the deployment of police forces. SIs cannot be posted in their home district.
District Election Officers, Returning Officers, Assistant Returning Officers, police inspectors and SIs or higher ranks cannot return to the constituency or district where they worked in the last Assembly election or any bypoll held after it.
The instructions are not limited to the district administration. They also cover officers of the police, excise and transport departments. Any officer facing a criminal case in court over his or her official work will not be given election duty.
EC team in Punjab for two days
The ECI team arrived on Tuesday and will stay until Wednesday, October 28. It is led by senior Deputy Election Commissioners and Directors General. The team will meet Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), along with senior state administrative and police officers.
The reviews begin at the CEO’s office in Chandigarh. After that, the team will visit several districts. It will look at law and order, the revision of voter lists and the facilities at polling booths. The visit comes before the poll dates are announced, so it is seen as an important step.
What is on the agenda
According to directions issued by ECI Secretary Suman Kumar Das, Punjab CEO Anindita Mitra will give a detailed, minute-by-minute presentation on the state’s preparations.
Chandigarh meetings will include the state Home Secretary, the Director General of Police (DGP) and heads of various security agencies. They will discuss sensitive areas and how security forces will be deployed.
The team will talk directly to Deputy Commissioners and SSPs. Its focus will be on districts with a large number of sensitive polling booths.
When could the election be announced?
The poll dates could come soon after this visit. For now, the talk is that the announcement may come after December 15, with voting in February.