DRAFTING /REQUISITIONING OF PREMISES/VEHICLES

Assistance by Govt. of India Employees and Use of Govt. vehicles(dt.06/11/1984).

Election Commission's Letter No. 458/84, dt. 6th November, 1984 addressed to all Chief Electoral Officers and Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law and Justice.
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Subject :- General Election to Lok Sabha/Legislative Assemblies and Bye-elections-Assistance by Government of India employees and use of Government Vehicles, etc.

I am directed to say that at the time of the general election to Lok Sabha and to the Legislative Assemblies, the State Governments generally seek assistance of the Central Government Offices and Departments located in the States for deployment of their employees in connection with the conduct of elections. The civil employees of Defence, Central para-military forces like the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, etc. and employees of Public Undertakings may also be required for such election duty.

2. Since the State Governments always experience difficulty in mobilising a large number of vehicles to meet their requirements on account of their limited resources, they look to the Central Government offices and departments in the States for placing their vehicles at the disposal of the election authorities for a specified period during elections.

3. It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that in the past, some of the Central Government Offices and departments located in the States/Union Territories were not extending full-co-operation in the matter despite the instructions given by the Central Government and wanted exemption from those instructions on one pretext or the other. The Commission has already instructed that in the formation of polling parties, personnel should be drawn from both the Central and State Government Offices and departments and they should be properly mixed in order to create confidence in the minds of the political parties and candidates about the impartiality of the officers manning the polling stations.

4. In this context, attention is invited to the similar instructions issued earlier by your Ministry to all the Ministries and Departments of the Government of India instructing them to place at the disposal of the election authorities in the State the service of all Government of India employees wherever a demand is made and also for the use of the Central Government vehicles in the State for the work connected with the elections.

5. Similar standing instructions may be issued now to all the Central Government Ministries and Departments concerned who are having their offices located in the States and Union Territories. Instructions are also required to be issued to cover the Public Undertakings (of the Central Government located in the States.)

6. The grant of leave or exemption from election duty should be scrupulously avoided unless there are very compelling reasons. The Heads of the Departments or the offices of the Central Government in the States should be instructed to get in touch with the Chief Electoral Officer of the State and offer their assistance in whatever manner it is required.

7. A copy of the instructions issued in the above matters may also be endorsed to the Commission.

8. The receipt of this letter may kindly be acknowledged.



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