ELECTION COMMISSION’S INSTRUCTION TO CEO-BIHAR CONTRACTUAL EMPLOYEES CANNOT BE APPOINTED AS MAGISTRATES, PRESIDING OFFICERS AND MIRCRO OBSERVERS

ARA (RNI) The Election Commission has banned the appointment of contractual employees as magistrates, presiding officers and micro observers. In a letter written by Naresh Kumar, Under Secretary of the Commission, to the Chief Electoral Officer of the State, it has been said that the services of the contract workers will not be taken in the form of Magistrates, Presiding Officers and Micro Observers. In the light of the letter, the Election Officer has written a letter to the District Magistrates of West Champaran, East Champaran, Madhubani, Muzzaffarpur Saran, Samastipur and Patna on Friday directing them to cent percent comply with the Election Commission’s order. In districts where there are not enough government employees, the responsibility of switching on and off the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), marking the fingers of the voters with edible ink, getting the thumb impression of signature of the voters can be given to the contract employees.

Under the Representation of the People Act (RP Act), a government employee has legal rights whereas a contract employee does not have this right and so there is a ban on making a contract employee a magistrate, presiding officer or micro observer.