Kolkata, 13 April (H.S.). The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a comprehensive review of election preparedness across West Bengal ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls, with multiple high-level teams conducting field visits and meetings across the state.

A senior ECI team led by Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti arrived in the state on Monday for a three-day visit. Bharti reached Andal Airport in West Burdwan around 12:30 PM and proceeded to Birbhum by road. A review meeting is scheduled at the District Magistrate’s office in Birbhum, where officials will assess election readiness, law and order, and administrative coordination.

During the visit, the team is also holding virtual meetings with officials from West Burdwan, East Burdwan, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, and Kolkata to evaluate ground-level preparedness across multiple districts.

Later in the evening, the team is set to travel to Murshidabad, where another review meeting will be held at the district headquarters, followed by an overnight stay. On Tuesday, the delegation will visit Nadia district as part of its ongoing assessment.

In parallel, another ECI team led by Apoorva Kumar Singh is touring five districts in North Bengal. The team has begun its visit from Alipurduar and is inspecting polling stations in Rajabhatkhawa, along with interacting with local residents.

In the coming days, the North Bengal team will visit Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong. Sources indicated that the team will remain in the region for around five days to carry out a detailed review.

Both teams are conducting continuous meetings and field inspections to evaluate election preparedness, security arrangements, and administrative coordination, ensuring that the polls are conducted in a free, fair, and peaceful manner. Several meetings were also held at multiple locations during the evening as part of the ongoing review process.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh