16 MAR 2026 5:07PM by PIB Delhi-
- Election Commission India (ECI) has appointed a Special Observer for the ongoing General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Assam, 2026.
- ECI announced the schedule for the general elections to Assam along with 4 other State/UT on Sunday, 15th of March 2026. The date of polling in Assam will be on the 9th of April 2026, and counting is scheduled on the 4th of May 2026.
- Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in his Press Conference announcing the schedule for the elections yesterday had assured that elections in all states, including Assam, would be peaceful.
- The Special Observer, Manjeet Singh is a retired IAS Officer of the Rajasthan cadre.
- ECI appoints the Special Observer to Assam in exercise of its powers under Article 324 of the constitution of India.
- The Special Observer will visit Assam regularly to observe the poll-preparedness and the conduct of the general elections in the State and give inputs to the Commission wherever necessary.
- As the eyes and ears of the Commission, the Special Observer will further bolster the conduct of elections in a free, peaceful, impartial and transparent manner in Assam.
ECI issues directions for strict implementation of Model Code of Conduct for the general elections in 5 States/UT and bye-elections in 6 States
16 MAR 2026 1:36PM by PIB Delhi-
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal on March 15, 2026.
- As per the schedule, notifications issued today by ECI and the States/UT of Assam, Kerala and Puducherry have been published in their respective gazettes.
- With this announcement, ECI has issued directions to Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer of the respective States/UT regarding immediate coming into force of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in the State/UTs. The MCC shall also be applicable to the Central Government in respect of announcements/policy decisions for the States/UT concerned.
- The Commission directed to ensure strict compliance with the instructions related to removal of defacement from Government, public and private property; misuse of official vehicles or Government accommodation by any political party, candidate or any other person connected with election; ban on issuance of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer.
- The privacy of citizens must be respected, with no demonstrations or picketing outside private residences. Land, buildings, or walls shall not be used for flags, banners, or posters without the owner’s consent.
- A complaint monitoring system has been set up including a Call Centre number 1950 in which complaints can be lodged by any member of the public or political party, with the DEO/RO concerned.
- Citizens/political parties can also report MCC violations using the C-Vigil App on ECINET. Over 5,173 Flying squads and over have been deployed across the States/UT to ensure that the complaints are attended to within 100 minutes. Besides this, over 5,200 Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) have also been deployed.
- Political Parties are required to inform police authorities in advance of meetings and processions to enable traffic and security arrangements, to comply with prohibitory orders and to obtain necessary permissions for loudspeakers or other facilities.
- Ministers shall not combine official duties with electioneering or use government machinery, transport, or personnel for campaign purposes.
- Officials at all levels have been directed to act impartially in enforcing MCC, ensuring equal treatment of all parties and preventing misuse of official facilities. They must regulate meetings, processions and polling arrangements fairly, safeguard law and order and maintain the credibility of the electoral process.
- The SUVIDHA module has been activated on ECINET where political parties can apply for usage of public places such as maidans and helipads, which would be allocated on first come first serve basis.
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