Kolkata, 10 March (H.S.):

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday said the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections would be conducted in a fair and violence-free manner, assuring voters that they would be able to exercise their franchise without fear or pressure.

“I extend my greetings to all brothers and sisters of West Bengal. The assembly elections in the state this year will be completely fair and violence-free. Voters will be able to cast their votes without any fear or pressure,” Kumar told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Kumar visited Belur Math in Howrah and offered prayers at the monastery established by Swami Vivekananda, which serves as the international headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.

The full bench of the Election Commission is scheduled to hold a meeting later in the day with top administrative and police officials of the state to review poll preparedness and the law and order situation.

The meeting will be attended by Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and acting Director General of Police Piyush Pandey, among other senior officials.

Meanwhile, a hearing related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is likely to take place in the Supreme Court of India later in the day.

The matter may be heard by a three-judge bench comprising Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and Nilay Vipinchandra Anjaria.

According to officials, the scrutiny of documents related to the revision of electoral rolls is currently underway, with 732 judicial officers engaged in the process. Around 100 officers each from neighbouring states Jharkhand and Odisha are also assisting in the exercise.

Officials said the process is unlikely to be completed before the first week of April at the current pace.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continues her indefinite sit-in protest at Esplanade East in Kolkata against the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls.

However, Trinamool Congress national general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee has urged the chief minister to end the protest considering her age and health.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey