Special observers visit districts to oversee poll preparedness

A five-member special team headed by Dr Chandra Bhusan Kumar that had visited Cooch Behar expressed its satisfaction on the overall preparation in the district. Dr Kumar is the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi who was assigned by the EC to overview the poll preparedness in the state ahead of the elections.

During its administrative meeting with the district magistrate, police superintendent, SDO and BDO, the special team wanted to know about the measures taken to ensure free and fair elections. They also asked the administrative officials about the sensitive area and how the confidence boosting measures were undertaken in those areas. The team of special observers will visit the enclaves that were transferred to the Indian territories. It may be mentioned that the EC had decided to hold the elections here in the last phase. The EC had undertaken the delimitations of the constituencies where the enclaves were situated. The enrolment of the voters has already been done in Cooch Behar. On Sunday teams of special observers of the Election Commission (EC) visited various districts of the state to monitor the law and order situation especially in the sensitive areas and Left Wing Extremism divisions and held administrative meetings with district administration.

A four-member team of special observers, who visited Murshidabad, have expressed their dissatisfaction over the law and order situation. The EC had earlier received some complaints regarding the deteriorating law and order situation in the district. The team of central observers under the leadership of JK Rawat had held a meeting with the District Election Officers and sought a report on steps taken to ensure free and fair elections in the district. Following the strict instruction from the Election Commission (EC) the district administrations and police were conducting raids to arrest the culprits against whom non-bailable warrants were pending. The full Bench of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEO) during their visit to the state instructed all the district administrative officials and the police superintendents to execute all the non-bailable warrants that were pending and to conduct confidence building exercise in sensitive pockets of all the districts. Around 2,000 areas have been identified as sensitive pockets across the state where special security arrangements are being done to ensure free and fail election. All the concerned election officials were instructed to intensify the confidence building measures with central forces marching down the lanes. The EC had identified 826 sensitive areas in Uttar Dinajpur as there is a possibility of violence during polls. The EC had ordered the district election officials to arrest all the criminals in the district who are suspected to create trouble during the polls.