With a view to a hold free and fair Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, the Election Commission has decided to depute micro-observers at all booths in the state, official sources said on Friday. Bihar is known for its poll violence and rigging for decades now.
"This will be first time that EC will depute micro-observers on static duty at booths in Bihar," an official of the state election office told rediff.com in Patna.
The micro-observers would keep an eye on every activity inside the booth and surrounding areas and later report to the returning officer of the parliamentary constituencies.
According to official sources in the elections office, decision to depute micro observers at booth is a move to minimise poll irregularities like rigging and violence during polls. In Bihar, there are 56,942 booths that require a large number of personnel to depute micro observers at all booths.
The micro observers will be appointed from the central government employees of class-1 and class-2 categories working in various offices in the state, an official said.