Ateam of the Election Commission of India (ECI), headed by Nitesh Byas, deputy election commissioner (EC) in charge of West Bengal, will visit the state in August to review preparations for Lok Sabha elections, scheduled next year, though the hangover of the recently-held rural body polls is still on. The full Bench of the ECI may also visit the state before the Durga Pujas.
The ECI team’s visit to West Bengal is significant at the backdrop of widespread violence, claiming around 60 lives belonging to all political parties, including both ruling Trinamul Congress and opposition since 9 June when announcement of date for panchayat elections in the state was announced.
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The state chief electoral officer (CEO) Ariz Aftab has already started preparations for the parliamentary elections. He is scheduled to hold a meeting with district magistrates across the state on 22 July to discuss several issues before the ECI team comes to the state in the first week of August.
The countdown for the LS polls kicked off on Tuesday when the CEO office in the state started to verify electoral rolls. Mr Aftab also visited Siliguri during day today to discuss issues in connection with electronic voting machines (EVMs) and electoral rolls of north Bengal districts like Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, Malda, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, North & South Dinajpur with respective district administrations.
The CEO may also hold another meeting with election officials of Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia, South & North 24-Parganas, East Midnapore and West Midnapore on Wednesday to discuss the same issues. Political observers felt that the EC team visit is highly significant because the state is virtually ravaged by regular incidents of unbridled political violence between workers of ruling Trinamul Congress and oppositions BJP, Left and Congress leading to loss of human lives, arsons, loot and setting fire on establishments in many districts during the past one-and-a-half months.
The Opposition has already moved the High Court in protest against rigging, looting of ballot papers, false voting etc, allegedly sponsored by Trinamul. The observers feel that the EC team would take the pre and post-poll violence issue seriously during their meeting with district magistrates.
