Pune: DEO Issues Notices To 7,000 Staff For Election Duty Negligence

Dr. Suhas Diwase, Pune District Collector, stresses the importance of having trained personnel on election day amid rising voter numbers and polling stations.

Pune, April 26, 2024 – The District Election Office (DEO) has initiated disciplinary actions against approximately 7,000 government employees who allegedly neglected their election duties. These employees, including clerks, officials, and other ranks, have been accused of dodging mandatory election training sessions and providing false excuses for their absences.

Dr Suhas Diwase, the Pune District Collector and Election Officer has emphasized the importance of having reliable and trained personnel to ensure the smooth conduct of elections. It is crucial to have trained staff members present on polling day, according to Dr Diwase. He also highlighted the challenge of managing sufficient staff for polling stations, which has become more difficult due to an increase in voter registrations and polling centres in the area.

The DEO reported that some employees failed to attend the training sessions necessary to prepare them for the election process. The first phase of training has already been completed, and the absenteeism noted during this phase has prompted the DEO to closely monitor attendance for the upcoming second phase of training, scheduled for the last week of April. Dr Diwase warned that strict actions will be taken against those who fail to justify their absence.

In addition to the show cause notices, the district administration has suspended six employees, including teachers and lower-rung staff, who had previously ignored warnings about their attendance at training sessions.

The Election Commission (EC) has outlined that it holds the authority to suspend or substitute any personnel assigned to election duties if they exhibit insubordination or neglect their responsibilities. Recommendations for further disciplinary actions are made by the EC, which must be addressed within six months by the respective authorities.

Pune district, which encompasses four parliamentary constituencies, has seen the addition of nearly 100,000 new voters recently. This surge has increased the number of polling stations to 8,213, intensifying the demand for adequately trained electoral staff. Efforts to meet this demand began in November 2023, with the district administration’s planning department working to coordinate the staffing requirements, drawing from nearly 70,000 government and semi-government employees.