Two additional election observers assigned to Bellary

BANGALORE, AUG 31: In an unprecedented move to ensure 8220;free and peaceful8221; elections, the Election Commission has appointed two senior IAS officers as additional observers for the high-profile Bellary Lok Sabha constituency, where Congress I president Sonia Gandhi is locked in a fierce contest with BJP nominee Sushma Swaraj.

Disclosing this to newsmen here today, Chief Electoral Officer K Hajra said that the Commission had deputed S L Srivastava of Madhya Pradesh and A Sharma of Tamil Nadu, besides the three observers already deputed. Srivastava would arrive here tomorrow and proceed to Bellary, which would go to the polls in the first phase on September 5.

Hajra declined to answer any question as to why the additional observers were posted.

He said the despatch of poll materials for the first phase of polling in 15 Lok Sabha and 115 Assembly seats was completed today.

He said the mustering for the first phase of polling would be taken up on September 3 and the men and materials would reach over 28,000 polling stations the next day.