Nagaon DC Orders Immediate Fixes at Polling Stations Ahead of Lok Sabha By‑Election

Pankaj Nath, Assam, 21 September: A key review meeting chaired by Nagaon District Commissioner and District Election Officer Aranyak Saikia on Monday directed rapid remedial action to address deficiencies at polling stations ahead of the upcoming by‑election in the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, Assam . Regional (zonal) and sector election officers took part in the meeting and discussed a range of operational challenges faced at polling venues. The DC emphasised that each polling station’s geographic location, communications links and security arrangements must be inspected and rectified in a timely manner. Saikia instructed all zonal and sector officers to ensure voters and poll staff face no inconvenience on polling day. Specifically, officers were told to guarantee adequate lighting, protective fencing or barricades, potable water, clean toilets and proper access routes at every centre. He also ordered heightened vigilance and swift repairs at stations currently lacking these basic facilities. Additional District Commissioners Gopal Sharma and Pallabi Gogoi attended the meeting, along with technical officers from the education and public health departments and the district revenue circle officers. To strengthen election management, sectors have been formed by grouping about ten polling stations each, while each group of three to four sectors has been placed under a single zonal officer.For the five assembly segments within Nagaon district, a total of 1,339 polling stations have been mapped to 118 sector officers and 31 zonal officers. Across the entire Lok Sabha constituency, 203 sectors and 53 zonal officers are engaged in election duties.The District Commissioner directed all sectoral and zonal officials to conduct pre‑inspection of every polling station under their charge, assess required facilities and complete necessary repairs and arrangements well before campaigning concludes and polling begins. The move aims to ensure voting is conducted in a secure, peaceful and unobstructed manner.