The Election Commission zeroed in on Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Kumar as Varanasi Special Observer for his impeccable credentials as an administrator, co-ordination abilities, communication skills and his fluency in Hindi.
Election Commissioner H.S. Brahma stirred up a hornet’s nest on Friday when he said the controversy over BJP leader Narendra Modi being denied permission to hold a rally in Varanasi was the result of a failure of the returning officer to properly communicate the ground situation to senior BJP leaders.
High-profile contestADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Kumar, who took charge on Saturday, will oversee the election process in the high-profile constituency where Mr Modi, the AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and Ajay Rai of the Congress are in the fray. It goes to the polls on Monday.