Himachal SEC finalises observer deployment for local polls, 41 officers appointed

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 1 (ANI): The State Election Commission of Himachal Pradesh on Friday finalised the deployment of Election Observers for the 2026 Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj elections, appointing a total of 41 senior officers across districts to ensure smooth and transparent conduct of the polls.
The appointments were confirmed through a series of urgent orders issued from the Commission's headquarters at Armsdale under the directions of State Election Commissioner Anil Kumar Khachi.
While a majority of observers were appointed earlier, the Commission carried out last-minute changes by replacing five officers to streamline the election monitoring process.
As per the final deployment, Kangra and Shimla districts will each have six observers, while Chamba will be monitored by five officers and Mandi by four. Una and Sirmour have been assigned three observers each, while Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Solan and Kullu will have two observers each. Kinnaur will have one observer, while Lahaul and Spiti will be overseen by two officers.
The Commission said five key replacements were made on April 30.
Deepti Mandhotra (HAS) has been appointed for Bilaspur and Ghumarwin, replacing Rohit Jamwal (IAS).
Suneel Sharma (IAS) will oversee Palampur and Baijnath in place of Ram Kumar Gautam (IAS).
Rajiv Kumar (IAS) has been assigned Kullu, Manali and adjoining areas, replacing Neeraj Kumar (IAS).
Dorje Chhering Negi (IAS) will supervise Solan Municipal Corporation and Kandaghat, taking over from Ashwani Kumar Sharma (IAS), while Pradeep Kumar Thakur (IAS) has been appointed for Dharamshala and Kangra, replacing Vinay Singh (IAS).
The State Election Commission reiterated that the observers have been appointed under Articles 243K and 243ZA of the Constitution to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair and independent manner. Their duties will commence immediately upon receipt of the orders and will continue until the entire election process is completed.
For logistical arrangements, observers stationed in Shimla have been directed to collect identity lapels, authority letters and guidelines from the Commission's office, while those posted in other districts will receive the documents through their respective Deputy Commissioners.
The Commission has also instructed all election-related officials to extend full cooperation to the observers to maintain the integrity of the electoral process. (ANI)