Bengaluru: The Karnataka state election commission (SEC) has directed deputy commissioners of all districts to appoint election officers (EOs) and assistant election officers (AEOs) for the forthcoming gram panchayat elections, marking the beginning of administrative preparations for the rural local body polls.In a recent communication to the DCs, the SEC said each gram panchayat should preferably have a Group-B officer appointed as the election officer. Where sufficient Group-B officers are not available, experienced officials from lower cadres may be appointed. The DCs have also been asked to appoint a shirastedar, superintendent or manager-level officer as the assistant election officer.The directives signal the start of preparations for the gram panchayat elections. Chief minister DK Shivakumar said in Kalaburagi, on Monday that the elections would be held soon. Meanwhile, deputy chief minister G Parameshwara said in Tumakuru on Wednesday that the election schedule would be decided in the coming days, as the govt had begun preparations to conduct the polls.The SEC clarified that the appointments of EOs and AEOs should be made in accordance with the Karnataka Panchayat Raj (conduct of elections) Rules, 1993.To ensure neutrality, the commission said EOs and AEOs should not be assigned to gram panchayats where they reside or to their native places.The SEC has also prescribed the deployment pattern based on the strength of each gram panchayat. Gram panchayats with up to 25 members will have one EO and one AEO. Those with 26 to 35 members will have one EO and two AEOs, while gram panchayats with more than 35 members will have two EOs and two AEOs.Deputy commissioners have been instructed to forward copies of the appointment orders, along with details of the officers appointed, to the state election commission immediately after issuing the orders.
