The Election Commission of India (ECI) will begin its election preparedness review in Kerala on Thursday, before traveling to West Bengal on the night of March 8 for a two-day assessment ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in both states.
The Kerala meetings will focus on drawing up electoral lists, security planning and administrative preparedness for the upcoming elections.
As per the schedule, the IEC will hold multiple rounds of meetings on March 9 and 10 with the state election machinery, district election officials, police officials and other administrative authorities. Discussions will focus on examining voter records, which are currently being examined by judicial officials. These cases largely relate to discrepancies discovered during the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls, including issues such as age mismatch with parents, irregular family ties and other documentary discrepancies that require verification.
“The commission will also review the overall election preparedness in the state, including law and order arrangements, vulnerability mapping in sensitive areas, preparedness of district administrations, and progress on corrections and updates in the electoral roll,” senior IEC officials said. The review assumes importance as West Bengal has reported a large number of cases under adjudication during the list review process.
The visit is part of a broader series of pre-election reviews by the Election Commission of India in states heading to the polls ahead of Assembly elections scheduled later this year. “Such visits help the commission assess ground-level preparedness and identify logistical or security challenges before officially announcing the election schedule,” an Election Commission of India official told the poll.
With the completion of visits to Kerala and West Bengal, the poll body will conclude its round of ground reviews of all the states that will go to the polls this year. Officials noted that once these visits are over, the Election Commission of India will move closer to finalizing the broader election roadmap and timeline for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
