Senior EC officials to visit West Bengal, Tripura
Bharti Jain | TNN | Mar 14, 2019, 23:14 IST
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has sought a report from the chief electoral officers of West Bengal and Tripura after BJP and Left respectively approached the poll panel seeking special measures to prevent political violence in the two states in the run-up to Lok Sabha election.
It is on the basis of CEOs’ report regarding the ground situation in the two states that the EC will take a call on whether any special measures are required and, if yes, what these measures shall be.
Meanwhile, deputy election commissioner Sudeep Jain will also visit the four states of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Manipur from March 16 to 19 to review poll preparedness there.
A delegation of the BJP had met EC on March 13 urging it to declare West Bengal a “super sensitive state” to ensure Lok Sabha elections are conducted in a free and fair manner. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after the meeting that the delegation had demanded that central forces be deployed at all polling booths and freedom of press be ensured.
“On behalf of the party, we told the EC that Bengal is that state of the country where at least 100 people have died during local body and panchayat polls. The winning candidates aren’t allowed to enter the state, officers sit on a dharna with the chief minister, the helicopter of BJP president Amit Shah isn’t allowed to land, other CM helicopters are also not allowed to land. That is why we have demanded that the state be declared super sensitive,” Prasad said.
CPM too had on March 9 urged the EC to deploy paramilitary forces well ahead of the polls in Tripura and to undertake intense patrolling in the booth areas to remove apprehensions of poll-related violence among people. The delegation also said that the prevailing situation in Tripura was “not at all conducive” for holding Lok Sabha election in a free and fair manner.
It is on the basis of CEOs’ report regarding the ground situation in the two states that the EC will take a call on whether any special measures are required and, if yes, what these measures shall be.
Meanwhile, deputy election commissioner Sudeep Jain will also visit the four states of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Manipur from March 16 to 19 to review poll preparedness there.
A delegation of the BJP had met EC on March 13 urging it to declare West Bengal a “super sensitive state” to ensure Lok Sabha elections are conducted in a free and fair manner. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after the meeting that the delegation had demanded that central forces be deployed at all polling booths and freedom of press be ensured.
“On behalf of the party, we told the EC that Bengal is that state of the country where at least 100 people have died during local body and panchayat polls. The winning candidates aren’t allowed to enter the state, officers sit on a dharna with the chief minister, the helicopter of BJP president Amit Shah isn’t allowed to land, other CM helicopters are also not allowed to land. That is why we have demanded that the state be declared super sensitive,” Prasad said.
CPM too had on March 9 urged the EC to deploy paramilitary forces well ahead of the polls in Tripura and to undertake intense patrolling in the booth areas to remove apprehensions of poll-related violence among people. The delegation also said that the prevailing situation in Tripura was “not at all conducive” for holding Lok Sabha election in a free and fair manner.
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