Full Bench of EC convenes all-party meeting

The full Bench of the Election Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Naseem Zaidi convened an all-party meeting in New Town where the Commission assured the Opposition leaders that it will ensure free and fair Assembly polls.

During their meeting with the Commission, senior leaders from various Opposition parties like CPI(M), Congress and the BJP said a section of administrative officials in the districts were misguiding the Central forces as a result of which the confidence boosting measures were hampered in the sensitive areas and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) divisions. All the major Opposition parties on Monday presented the copy of a sting operation and urged the EC to take action. 

TMC leader Mukul Roy after meeting the full Bench of the EC said a section was trying to malign the government and spreading canards and the people would give their mandate in favour of the ruling party. The Opposition parties also raised various issues with the Commission saying that there were illegal arms and ammunitions throughout the state. They demanded that the Commission must confiscate them. 

Former state election commissioner Meera Pandey on Monday met the full bench of election Commission as a representative of ‘Safe Democracy’ a non political forum and urged the commission to intensify a vigil in the bordering areas of the state where the arms come from before the election. She told the commission that election processes could not be conducted peacefully if the illegal arms were not seized.

Congress leader Manas Bhunia had told the Chief Election Commissioner that District Magistrates and Superintendent of Police from various districts were not implementing the EC guidelines and acting as per the instructions of the ruling party. The Congress party had urged the EC to take action against the officers.

CPI(M) leaders Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said that they had requested the Commission to remove the banners of the various state government departments. They also complained that local administration was misguiding the Central forces and route march was not properly done in the sensitive areas. 

The Election Commission ordered the immediate removal of banners, posters in West Bengal violating model code and warned stringent action against erring officials. 

Additionally blind voters will be provided poll-related information via voice SMS service in the forthcoming Bengal Assembly elections, an Election Commission official said.