Strict action against officials if lapses found during WB assembly polls: CEC

A series of review meetings were held on Monday and Tuesday with political parties, state government officials, police and enforcement agencies

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Tuesday that the poll panel will initiate strict action against government officials against whom lapses are 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 CEC said ECI will take stringent actions against any officials, whatever his rank may be, if lapses are found. (ANI photo)

“The ECI would like to assure the voters that officials, associated with the poll process, will have to follow the law and the poll panel’s instructions. The ECI will take stringent actions against any officials, whatever his rank may be, if lapses are found,” Kumar told the media.

The full bench of the EC, headed by Kumar and election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, were in Kolkata on a three-day visit, to take stock of poll preparations.

A series of review meetings were held on Monday and Tuesday with political parties, state government officials, police and enforcement agencies.

“During the review meeting, all the political parties, the state government headed by the chief secretary, the district collectors and the police, including the director general of police (DGP) and the police commissioner, have assured the EC that the election would be held in violence-free manner and without any intimidation,” he said.

“Absolute non-partisan conduct of officers is mandatory. They shouldn’t favor any particular party or individual. Enforcement agencies have been instructed to work with absolute impartiality and enforce rule of law,” said an official.

The CEC’s visit comes at a time when West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been holding a sit-in demonstration over deletion of 6.3 million voters’ names from the final electoral roll published on February 28. Another six million voters’ claims are under adjudication by court-appointed judicial officers.

When questioned whether the EC is planning to conduct the elections only after all the six million cases are disposed of by the judicial officers, Kumar said, “The final list was published on February 28. There are certain cases on adjudication which are being processed by court-appointed judicial officers. The process is being progressed as per the directions of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of the Calcutta high court.”

“Supplementary lists would be published as per the directions of the Supreme Court from time-to-time and the voters’ names, which are approved by the judicial officers, would be uploaded on the website”, he said.

On Monday, representatives of various political parties in West Bengal met the full bench of the EC in Kolkata, with several of them seeking a maximum of two-phase polling for the upcoming assembly elections.

“The number of phases will depend on the law-and-order preparedness of the state machinery. Interactions were held with all the National and state level political parties. They have offered their suggestions with regards to the number of phases in which the election should be conducted. The ECI will take a decision after taking into account all the factors that have emanated in the review meeting,” Kumar said.