Oppn parties urge deployment of Central forces during LS polls

Kolkata: The full bench of the Election Commission of India met members of nine political parties at a seven-star city hotel on Thursday.

With electoral roll cleansing on the radar, instructions have been given to ensure that bogus voters are removed from the list and to ensure that names of the new voters are included properly. The full bench also met the CEO.

The full bench of the ECI headed by Sunil Arora, the Chief Election Commissioner, is in the city since Wednesday evening.

The full bench of the Election Commission of India also met representatives of civil society organisations, who demanded necessary security measures in the state during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to ensure a free and fair election.

"The Commission met with... representatives of civil society organisations to elicit their views and suggestions to make the Lok Sabha elections, 2019 more inclusive, ethical, accessible and participative," a release issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) here said.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Opposition parties urged the Election Commission of India to deploy heavy Central forces one month ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Besides leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), those of Opposition parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress called on the ECI's top bosses.

TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee, who led the party's delegation at a meeting with the EC, said the party spoke on several issues and the ECI full bench assured that it would look into the suggestions. He, however, did not elaborate.

Jayprakash Mazumdar of the BJP said in order to conduct free and fair elections, Central observers should come to Bengal immediately.

Debabrata Basu of the Congress opined that the Central forces should be deployed one month ahead of the election and they should conduct route marches in the vulnerable areas.

The ECI expressed concern over the absence of Rajeev Kumar, Police Commissioner. Kumar did not come to attend the meeting. The ECI interacted with the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police and took a stock of the law and order situation. The DMs and SPs were asked to give a full report to the ECI.

It will meet the nodal officers on Friday morning along with state Chief Secretary Malay Dey and Director General of Police Virendra to take a stock of the law and order situation.

The ECI will hold a press conference before leaving the city on Friday as well.

Earlier in the day, the ECI released a photo album that captures the initiatives it has taken to ensure greater inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities into the electoral registration process.