Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Presiding Officers (POs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) play a pivotal role in ensuring that elections are conducted smoothly and transparently, said District Election Officer and GHMC Commissioner R V Karnan.

District Election Officer and GHMC Commissioner R.V. Karnan emphasized that Presiding Officers (POs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) must have a thorough understanding of their duties and perform them with neutrality and integrity on polling day.

The second phase of training for POs and APOs of the Jubilee Hills Assembly Constituency bye-election was conducted on Tuesday at G. Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science, Shaikpet, with nearly 500 officials attending in two batches. Election Police Observer Om Prakash Tripathi and Expenditure Observer Sanjeev Kumar Lal inspected the program and observed the arrangements.

During the session, DEO Karnan and GHMC Additional Commissioner (Elections) Hemant Keshav Patil presented a detailed PowerPoint outlining roles, responsibilities, and polling procedures. Master Trainers demonstrated the setup and use of Ballot Units, Control Units, and VVPATs, including mock polls and actual voting procedures. With 59 candidates, officials were instructed to carefully connect four BUs, one CU, and one VVPAT per station.

Karnan urged officers to follow ECI guidelines meticulously, study the POs Handbook, prepare a polling checklist, and ensure all materials are ready before polling begins.