<P> At the state level, Election Commission is assisted by the Chief Electoral Officer of the State, who is an IAS officer of Principal Secretary rank . At the district and constituency levels, the District Magistrates in their capacity as District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers perform election work . </P> <P> The Chief Election Commissioner of India can be removed from his office similar to the removal of a judge of the Supreme Court of India which requires a resolution passed by the Parliament with a two - thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the grounds of proved misbehavior or incapacity . Other Election Commissioners can be removed by the President of India on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner . A Chief Election Commissioner has never been impeached in India . In 2009, just before the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami sent a recommendation to President Prathibha Patil to remove Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, who was soon to take office as the Chief Election Commissioner and to subsequently supervise the Lok Sabha Election, citing his partisan behavior in favor of one political party . The President opined that such a recommendation is not binding on the President, and hence rejected it . Subsequently, after Gopalswami's retirement the next month, Chawla became the Chief Election Commissioner and supervised the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections . </P> <P> One of the most important features of the democratic policy is elections at regular intervals . Holding periodic free and fair elections are essentials of a democratic system and a part of the basic structure of the Constitution . The Election Commission is regarded as the guardian of elections in the country . In every election, it issues a Model code of Conduct for political parties and candidates to conduct elections in a free and fair manner . The Commission issued the code for the first time in 1971 for the 5th Lok Sabha elections and revised it from time to time . It lays down guidelines for the conduct of political parties and candidates during an election period . However, there have been instances of violation of the code by various political parties with complaints being received for misuse of official machinery by the candidates . The code does not have any specific statutory basis but only a persuasive effect . It contains the rules of electoral morality . However, this lack of statutory backing does not prevent the Commission from enforcing it . </P> <P> A law regarding the registration process for political parties was enacted in 1989 and a number of parties got registered with the Commission . The registration helps avoid confusion ensures that the political parties are brought under the purview of the commission . </P>

What is the role of election commission in free and fair elections
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