The Election Commission of India (ECI) appointed three special observers for Tripura including senior IPS officer Vivek Johri to monitor the overall law and order situation of the state and to ensure proper deployment of CAPFs, intensify enforcement measures have arrived in the state capital on Monday and to take stock of the situation ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled to be held on next February 16.

Among the three special observers appointed by the ECI including Yogendra Tripathy (IAS of 1985 batch), an illustrious officer retired as secretary of union government having handled multifarious assignments both in centre and the state.

Special observer Vivek Johri, is 1984 batch of IPS officer and having served as DGP of Madhya Pradesh and extensive experience of handling central agencies as well as profound knowledge of the Northeast and international security concerns.

Another special observer B Murali Kumar, an IRS officer of 1983 batch has done election duties as special observer in the assembly elections of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in 2022 and in West Bengal in 2021, who has seized more than Rs. 800 crores in the recently concluded Gujarat assembly elections.

In their two-day visit, the special observers would attend meetings with state-level top officials at State Guest House on Tuesday morning to review the ongoing situation in the state and will be followed by another meeting regarding the overall poll-related situation with DMs, SPs and nodal officers of all eight districts via video conference. Election department sources said that the team would submit the report to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

It may be recalled here that the ECI appointed these three special observers to take stock of the situation and ensure deployment of adequate central armed police forces after All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar was injured in a political clash on the day of announcement of the poll schedule.