Chief Electoral Officer to hold video conference with additional officers on May 17

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sunil Gupta will hold video conference with the Returning officer and additional returning officer on May 17 to take a stock of the arrangements on the Counting Day.

Gupta will hold a meeting with the District Magistrates who are also the District Election Officers (DEO) at a hotel in Newtown to discuss what arrangements the district administration is taking. Law and order situation during the poll counting would be given a top priority. The CEO may ask the DEOs to deploy adequate number of security forces in and around the counting stations on May 19. It was learnt that Central forces will be deployed outside the counting stations, while the state police forces will be deployed in various layers from the main gate of the counting centres.

To avoid any kind of political clashes following the announcement of the result the district administrations will be asked to make adequate security arrangements at all the counting station in the districts. CEO will discuss various issues with the DEOs relating to the counting. How the statistics and information relating to the poll result would be communicated to the Commission would also be discussed in the meeting.

There was confusion over the reports published by some newspapers saying that there is likely to be a re-poll in some booths and that is why the Commission has sought a booth based report. Though, a senior official of the CEO office said that they have no information in this regard so far. The Election Commission of India has not given any such direction to the CEO office so far.

“It is a mere speculation. The Commission has not issued any instruction regarding repoll in any booths,” a senior official of the CEO office said. With just six days away for the counting of votes in 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal on May 19, the Election Commission has taken elaborate measures to ensure trouble free announcement of results on that day.

Sunil Kumar Gupta, Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday held a high level meeting with the officials and discussed about the last minute arrangements. Seventy four companies of Central Forces along with state and city police personnel are guarding 312 strong rooms where the EVMs have been kept. There are 90 counting centres.