Aspirant Academy

Public Administration

Election Administration at the District Level

District Administration: Collector, Law & Order, Revenue, Development Administration

Paper III · Unit 2 Section 7 of 13 0 PYQs 27 min
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Election Administration at the District Level

6.1 The Collector as District Election Officer (DEO)

The District Collector functions as the District Election Officer (DEO) for all elections conducted in the district. Responsibilities:

  • Electoral rolls: Supervising preparation, revision, and correction of voter lists
  • Poll preparation: Assigning polling stations, deploying polling teams, arranging transport
  • Model Code of Conduct: Enforcing the MCC from announcement to results
  • Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs): Storage, commissioning, and deployment
  • Expenditure monitoring: Tracking election expenditure of candidates
  • Results: Counting centre setup; announcing results; issuing certificates to winners

For Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections (where applicable), the Collector is also the Returning Officer.

6.2 The Collector's Role in Rajasthan's Electoral History

Rajasthan holds Assembly elections every 5 years and Panchayati Raj elections (managed separately by the State Election Commission, but Collector coordinates). The district administration's efficiency in conducting elections is directly related to the Collector's management.