Odisha Bureaucrats Appointed as Central Observers for Bihar Polls and State By-Elections
In a strategic move to uphold electoral integrity, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed 470 central observers for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections and by-elections in eight assembly constituencies across seven states.
Among them, 12 senior officers from Odisha—10 IAS and 2 IPS—have been selected to oversee polling operations.
The deployment includes top bureaucrats such as Rajesh Prabhakar Patil (Cooperative Dept), Arvind Agrawal (Higher Education), Balwant Singh (Tourism), Bhupendra Singh Poonia (Skill Development), and others across key departments. IPS officers Prateek Mohanty and Shyni S. will also serve in oversight roles.
The Nuapada by-election in Odisha, triggered by the passing of BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, is among the constituencies under scrutiny.
Officers were notified on September 26–27 and directed to attend a mandatory briefing on October 3 at IIIDEM, New Delhi. Failure to comply will invite disciplinary action.
This deployment underscores the ECI’s commitment to transparent and fair elections, with observers required to submit written consent within 24 hours of notification.
Nationwide, the observer pool includes 320 IAS, 60 IPS, and 90 other All India Services officers.