Kolkata, 10 March (H.S.): Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday said that the final decision on the number of phases for the West Bengal Assembly elections will depend on the preparedness of law and order at the ground level in the state.

He said the full bench of the Election Commission reviewed the law and order situation in West Bengal over the last two days. All stakeholders have assured the Commission that polling will be peaceful, free and without violence. He added that the number of phases in which the elections will be conducted will be decided after assessing the ground-level law and order preparedness.

The Chief Election Commissioner said that during the two-day review visit, the Commission’s full bench instructed state administration officials to strictly enforce the rule of law and function without fear or favour.

He emphasised that non-partisan conduct by officials is extremely important and said this message was clearly conveyed during meetings with officers at various levels over the past two days.

Kumar also said that the Commission has a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of election-related violence, whether before the polls, during the voting process or after the elections. He added that the Commission has decided to act firmly and take strong action against anyone involved in such incidents.

Responding to allegations that the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls has caused inconvenience to voters, he said that it is a national exercise conducted periodically in all states.

He said the process has been carried out in a fair manner with the active participation of officials at different levels. Cases related to voters identified under the category of logical discrepancies are currently undergoing judicial scrutiny as per the directions of the Supreme Court and under the supervision of the Calcutta High Court.

The Chief Election Commissioner said the main objective of the exercise is to ensure that no genuine voter is left out of the electoral rolls and that no bogus voter remains included.

He also announced that arrangements will be made for one hundred percent web telecast at all polling booths.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh