Bhubaneswar: At least 73 officers of Odisha cadre have attended a virtual training programme conducted by the Election Commission for central observers in upcoming Assembly polls in five states, an official said Saturday.
These officers will be deployed in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the assembly elections.
The Assembly polls in the five states will be held between February 10 and March 7 with the counting of votes March 10.
Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey were present at the programme and they urged the officers to ensure that all COVID protocols are followed during the polling.
The commission also emphasised on the role of central observers for free and fair elections, the official said.
The poll panel asked them to be impartial and to help local administrations to ensure smooth conduct of the elections.
Senior EC officials made presentations on different aspects of elections during the pandemic situation.
PTI