Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday appointed former Director-General of Manipur Police, Mrinal Kanti Das as special police observer for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly polls.
The ECI took the decision in light of the specific challenges of Left-Wing extremism affecting the law and order situation in Jharkhand.
"The Election Commission took the decision in light of the specific challenges of Left Wing Extremism affecting the Law and Order situation in Jharkhand. MK Das will reach Ranchi today to take up his new responsibility and oversee the deployment and other security-related issues there," said ECI in a press release.
"It may be recalled that Das retired as Director-General of Manipur Police and was also deputed earlier as Special Observer for Tripura and Mizoram during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections," it read.
Jharkhand will go to polls in five phases. The first phase of polling will be held on November 30, the second phase on December 6, the third phase on December 12, the fourth phase on December 16 and the last phase on December 20. The results will be declared on December 23.
The Congress has forged an alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the state to defeat the incumbent BJP.
In 2014, the BJP, which won 43 seats, formed the government along with All Jharkhand Students' Union (AJSU), which had won 5 seats under the leadership of Raghubar Das.