India's Election Commission has appointed M. Sarvana Vivek, a 2015-batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre, as police observer for the upcoming West Bengal (India's most populous eastern state) Legislative Assembly elections in 2026. Vivek, who will be placed on deputation to the Election Commission for the duration of his assignment, will oversee all police-related arrangements during the two-phase polls. The appointment was made under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which grant the Commission authority to ensure free and fair elections.