Ahead of polls in non-BJP states, police deployment to be randomised in presence of 'central observers'

The Election Commission (EC) has directed that the randomisation of state police personnel assigned to polling stations on voting day will henceforth be conducted in the presence of central police observers, in a move supposedly aimed at strengthening transparency in election management.

Randomisation of police personnel is a standard procedure aimed at ensuring 'impartial' deployment, with local police staff posted outside their usual station areas to minimise any perception of bias during elections.

In a letter sent on Monday to state Chief Electoral Officers and Directors General of Police, the EC said that for all future Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, “Randomisation of the state police personnel deployed at the polling station on the day of poll shall be done in the presence of police observer(s) deployed for the constituencies in that district.”

An official familiar with the process said district superintendents of police will continue to carry out the randomisation exercise, but the presence of central observers has now been made mandatory to strengthen oversight.

“They will continue to do so. But now the exercise will be done in the presence of police observers,” the official said.

The new procedure is expected to be implemented in the upcoming Assembly elections likely to be held in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Assam and West Bengal during March-April.

These states are currently not governed by the BJP, a factor that has heightened political scrutiny around poll management, although the EC has presented the directive as an administrative step applicable uniformly across the country.

Apart from state police and state armed police units, central armed police forces are also deployed during elections to maintain law and order, guard polling stations, ensure the safety of vulnerable voters and secure Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) strong rooms.

Officials said the EC has instructed that the new guidelines be communicated to all district election officers, superintendents of police, police commissioners, returning officers and sector officers to ensure uniform implementation.

The Commission has in recent years introduced several procedural safeguards — including multi-stage randomisation of polling staff and security personnel — to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process. The latest directive, officials said, builds on these measures by adding an additional layer of monitoring through centrally appointed observers during the final stage of police deployment on polling day.

The EC has not indicated any change to existing security protocols beyond the observer presence but said the step was intended to further enhance transparency as multiple states head into a busy election cycle.