WBSEC initiates strong measures to ensure peaceful civic polls

Acting on 'requisite advices' by Governor K N Tripathi, West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the April 25 polls to 91 civic bodies are free, fair and peaceful.
"I discussed with all DMs and SPs during a video conference today for elaborate security arrangements to ensure that polls to 91 civic bodies are free, fair and peaceful," State Election Commissioner S R Upadhyay said.
As campaigning ended to the 91 civic bodies in 18 districts today, guidelines have been given to the DMs and SPs to initiate various measures to avoid recurrence of violence.

However, only three companies of central forces, which were available for the April 18 civic polls to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), would be available for the April 25 election as well, he said.
Of the three companies, two were deployed in North-24 Parganas district and one in Hooghly district, he said.
Upadhyay said the Governor had advised him to ensure that the election process, including law and order situation, was monitored effectively to instill confidence among people.

The SEC had earlier stressed on the requirement of at least 100 company force for civic polls to 91 municipalities.
In the absence of central force, the WBSEC was left with no other alternative but to conduct the election with the forces available from the state police, Upadhyay said, stating that he had drawn up a force deployment strategy in consultation with state Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee and top police officials.

Earlier in the day, Tripathi had said that he had given "requisite advices" to the State Election Commissioner to see to it that the April 25 polls to 91 civic bodies in the state were held peacefully.
The governor's statement came in the backdrop of allegations by opposition parties that the SEC had failed to conduct the KMC election freely and peacefully on April 18.
"I have told the SEC whatever I have to tell. I have given requisite advices to ensure that the coming election should be free and fair and it (SEC) should take all necessary measures," he had told a news channel here.

The governor yesterday summoned Upadhyay and asked him to see that the civic poll on Saturday was peaceful.
After his meeting with Tripathi, the SEC said he had briefed the Governor about the force deployment plan and other steps that the commission will take during civic polls.
Altogether 91 observers and four special observers would directly monitor the entire polling process on April 25.
Nearly 74 lakh people are eligible to vote on Saturday, while there are 7636 candidates.
Polling on Saturday would be held in 8,756 polling stations, of which 2,318 have been identified as sensitive and 2,142 as hyper sensitive, Upadhyay said.