New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Monday, appointed a special observer to oversee the conduct of the upcoming Assam Assembly elections while issuing the official schedule for the polls covering all 126 constituencies in the state.

According to an official communication issued by the Commission, retired IAS officer Manjeet Singh has been appointed as the Special Observer for the elections to the Assam Assembly scheduled to take place on April 9.

The appointment has been made under the powers vested in the Commission under Article 324 of the Constitution of India.

The observer will visit Assam periodically to review poll preparedness and monitor the conduct of the election process.

He will also provide inputs and reports to the Election Commission for necessary action during the course of the electoral process.

Assam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Anurag Goel, will coordinate with the Special Observer and provide all logistical and administrative support required for the upcoming state polls.

The Commission has also issued the detailed election schedule for the upcoming Assembly polls, which will be conducted in a single phase across all 126 constituencies in the state.

As per the schedule, the gazette notification for the election will be issued on March 16, while the last date for filing nominations has been fixed as March 23.

Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on March 24 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures has been set for March 26.

Polling for all Assembly constituencies in Assam will be held on April 9, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

The Commission has also circulated the complete list of all 126 Assembly constituencies in Assam along with the election notification for administrative reference and coordination.

These constituencies span across multiple regions, including the Brahmaputra Valley, Barak Valley, Bodoland Territorial Region and the hill districts.

The appointment of a Special Observer is part of the Election Commission’s standard mechanism to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in states going to the polls.

–IANS

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