Gandhinagar, March 5 (IANS) IAS Sandip Sagale on Thursday assumed charge as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Gujarat and on his first day reviewed the functioning and preparedness of the state's election administration with officials.
Sagale took charge following orders issued by the Election Commission of India appointing him to the post last month.
Soon after assuming office, he held a review meeting with officers heading various branches of the CEO office to assess the current situation of the statewide election management system.
During the meeting, officials from different sections briefed him on ongoing work and operational status.
The review covered several key areas including election management, coordination, electoral roll management, the media cell, grievance redressal mechanisms and information technology systems.
According to officials, Sagale took stock of the current situation from the officers responsible for each branch and issued necessary directions regarding the functioning of the election administration.
He emphasised that training programmes for officials involved in election work should be conducted effectively at all levels of the administrative structure, from the state headquarters to district offices.
Sagale also instructed that training modules should incorporate greater creativity to improve the preparedness of officials handling election-related responsibilities.
The review also included discussions on preparations for upcoming electoral processes in the state and the work related to the summary revision of electoral rolls.
Officials said the interaction allowed the newly appointed Chief Electoral Officer to gain an overview of the functioning of the election machinery and the readiness of the staff for future electoral activities.
With the appointment, Sagale will oversee election-related processes in Gujarat, including coordination with district authorities, electoral roll revisions and the implementation of election procedures in accordance with the directions of the Election Commission.
Sagale is a 2007-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre.
Before his appointment as Chief Electoral Officer, he served in several administrative roles, including Director General of the Sports Authority of Gujarat and Industries Commissioner.
He has also served as district collector of Narmada, Bharuch, Banaskantha and Ahmedabad.
--IANS
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