500 observers for Bengal assembly poll

Kolkata: The Election Commission will appoint around 500 observers for the eight-phase Bengal assembly polls, beginning March 27. It also plans to have three police observers in every district.
The decision on police observers will be finalized on Thursday after a meeting of special observers who will take stock of violence in the districts. Special observers Vivek Dubey, Mrinal Kanti Das, B Murli Kumar and Ajay V Nayak are scheduled to reach Kolkata by Saturday.“Dubey and Das have been briefed on past violence. The meeting will decide if three police observers must man every district,” an EC official said.
The poll panel is deploying a posse of central forces in Bengal and by March 8, around 295 CAPF companies are expected to be in the state. Sources indicated that from phase-III onwards, CAPF numbers will increase manifold. The foolproof monitoring plan includes GPS-equipped vehicles for sector officers, additional chief electoral officer Sanjay Basu said.
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