Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Ganesh Kumar on Tuesday said that the poll panel will initiate strict action against government officials against whom lapses were found in the run-up to the Assembly elections in West Bengal, while adding that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has zero tolerance towards violence and intimidation.
“The Election Commission of India would like to assure voters that officials associated with the polling process will have to follow the law and the instructions of the poll panel. The Election Commission of India will take strict action against any official, whatever his rank, if loopholes are found,” Kumar told the media.
The full bench of the Election Commission, headed by Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, arrived in Kolkata on a three-day visit to take stock of the election preparations.
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A series of review meetings were held on Monday and Tuesday with political parties, state government officials, police and law enforcement agencies.
“During the review meeting, all political parties and the state government headed by the Chief Secretary, District Collectors and Police, including the Director General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, assured the EC that the elections would be conducted in a violence-free manner and without any intimidation.”
“Absolute non-partisan conduct of officers is mandatory. They must not favor any particular party or individual. Law enforcement agencies have been instructed to act with absolute impartiality and enforce the rule of law,” an official said.
The CEC’s visit came at a time when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was holding a protest against the deletion of the names of 6.3 million voters from the final electoral list published on February 28. The claims of another six million voters are subject to adjudication by court-appointed judicial officers.
When asked if the EC plans to hold elections only after all six lakh cases are disposed of by the judicial officials, Kumar said: “The final list was published on February 28. There are some issues related to the disposal of cases which are being addressed by the court-appointed judicial officials. The process is progressing as per the directions of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.”
He said: “Supplementary lists will be published as directed by the Supreme Court from time to time, and the names of voters approved by judicial officers will be uploaded to the website.”
Representatives of various political parties in West Bengal on Monday met the entire EC benches in Kolkata, with many of them seeking a maximum of two-phase polling for the upcoming Assembly elections.
“The number of phases will depend on the readiness of the state machinery for law and order. Interactions have been held with all political parties at the national and state levels. They have given their suggestions regarding the number of phases in which elections should be held. The Election Commission of India will take a decision after taking into consideration all the factors that emerged in the review meeting,” Kumar said.
