Chief Electoral Officer:
- He is authorized to supervise election work in the state/Union Territory, subject to the Election Commission's overall supervision, direction and control.
- Section 20 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 specifies the general duties of chief electoral officers.
- Subject to the superintendence, direction and control of the Election Commission, the chief electoral officer of each State shall supervise the conduct of all elections in the State under this Act.
- Section 159 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 states that staff of certain authorities be made available for election work when so requested by a Regional Commissioner or the Chief Electoral Officer of the State.
District Election officer:
In consultation with the state government, the Election Commission of India nominates or designates an officer of the state government as the District Election Officer (DEO).
Section 26 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 requires the District Election Officer to appoint a Presiding Officer and as many Polling Officers as he deems necessary.
Function:
- Transport and storage of EVMs and other election stationery.
- Keeping a record of election expenses and reporting to the Commission.
- Supervising the poll process on Election Day and reporting to the Commission on poll events on a regular basis.
- Supervising the counting of votes and reporting to the Commission as needed for each polling station within his jurisdiction.
Returning Officer:
- A Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing the election in a constituency, or sometimes in two constituencies, as directed by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
- The EC appoints the Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer for a constituency in consultation with the governments of the State or Union Territory as the case may be.
- He administers the oath of candidate after filling of nomination.
- When an application for recounting of votes is made the returning officer shall decide the matter and may allow the application in whole or in part or may reject it in its entirety if it appears to him to be frivolous or unreasonable.
- In such a case, only legal remedy is to file an EP (election petition) before the high court. As per provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the decision of a returning officer can only be challenged through an election petition under section 80 of the Act.
Electoral Registration officer:
The Election Commission of India, in consultation with the state/ UT government, appoints an officer of the government or the local authorities as the Electoral Registration Officer. He is responsible for the preparation of electoral rolls for a Parliamentary assembly constituency.
Presiding Officer:
The Presiding Officer with the assistance of polling officers conducts the poll at a polling station. The District Election Officer appoints the Presiding Officers and the Polling Officers. In the case of Union Territories, such appointments are made by the Returning Officers.
Observers:
Observers of the Election Commission of India are appointed under the powers conferred on it by Section 20B of the Representation of People Act, 1951 and the plenary powers available to the Commission under Art-324 of the Constitution of India. They are the appointees of the Commission working under the superintendence, control and direction of the Commission for the period from their appointment until the process of elections is completed.