Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that the Election Commission of India will determine the number of phases for the West Bengal Assembly elections based on the state’s law and order situation. During a review, the ECI’s full bench received assurances from stakeholders for peaceful and violence-free polling. The final decision on the polling phases hinges on the state’s law and order preparedness.
He emphasized the need for non-partisan behavior by state administration operators to uphold the rule of law strictly. The CEC reiterated the ECI’s zero-tolerance policy towards any form of poll-related violence, emphasizing strong actions against offenders. The Commission aims to ensure peaceful conduct before, during, and after the polls.
Responding to concerns about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) causing inconvenience to voters in West Bengal, the CEC clarified that SIR is a national practice conducted periodically across all states. The exercise, carried out with officers’ active involvement, aims to address discrepancies in voter lists following legal guidelines. The CEC assured that the process is being supervised as per court instructions to ensure no genuine voter is excluded.
He highlighted that the primary goal of SIR is to prevent genuine voters from being excluded and eliminate bogus voters from the lists. Additionally, the CEC announced that 100% webcasting will be implemented in all polling booths to enhance transparency and monitoring during the elections.
