During the lok sabha elections in India, various government employees are assigned duties to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process. These employees come from different government departments, including Government school teachers, Nationalized bank employees , Public sector undertaking (PSU) employees, such as those from lic and Various other government department employees.
The roles of these employees include serving as presiding officers, polling officers, sector and zonal officers, micro-observers, assistant expenditure observers, drivers, conductors, and cleaners of vehicles used in elections. Additionally, the responsibility for maintaining security and law and order during elections lies with state policemen, sector and zonal officers, returning officers, assistant returning officers, district election officers, and their respective staff.
It's important to note that employees appointed for election duty are required to fulfil their duties, and there are repercussions for absences. Punishments can be imposed by the election commission for unauthorized absence. Generally, only permanent employees of the central or state government are eligible for election duty. In exceptional cases, duty may be assigned to employees on deputation after retirement. Contractual or daily wage earners are not typically assigned election duties.
If both spouses are government employees, one of them can seek an exemption from election duty to manage responsibilities at home. This exemption is granted upon application. Furthermore, employees with pre-booked foreign travel plans overlapping with election dates can apply for cancellation of election duty by providing proof of travel arrangements.
Employees suffering from serious illnesses can also request an exemption from election duty by submitting relevant medical certificates. Overall, the election commission ensures that necessary arrangements are made for election duties while considering the circumstances of government employees.
