EC appoints Vinod Zutshi as special general observer for Delhi polls

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Thursday appointed Vinod Zutshi, a retired IAS officer who served for seven years in EC, as a special general observer for Delhi polls.
Sources in the Commission said the need to appoint a special general observer, that too hours before polling, was felt in view of media reports and allegations and counter-allegations among political parties about attempts to vitiate the poll.
“We already have a special police observer and special expenditure observer in place. But after taking stock of the pre-poll situation in Delhi, we felt a special general observer was also needed for an overview of things just ahead of and during polling,” a senior EC functionary told TOI.
The appointment of a special general observer came in the wake of EC holding a special review meeting on Thursday with Delhi chief secretary, Commissioner of Police, Delhi chief electoral officer and senior officers of the Delhi government to assess the status of poll preparedness.
The commission was assured that all required arrangements are in place for conducting free, fair and peaceful elections in the national capital on February 8, said sources.
Zutshi has overseen multiple assembly elections in Delhi during his stint in EC. He has also been chief electoral officer of Rajasthan. He was deputed during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll as special observer for Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tripura.
EC had on January 31 appointed former IRS officer B Murli Kumar as special expenditure observer and ex-IPS officer M K Das as special police observer for Delhi polls.