End pre-poll measures by Feb 10: EC to Bengal

Kolkata: The Election Commission has set a February 10 deadline for West Bengal to complete all pre-poll measures.

State chief electoral officer Ariz Aftab already had a detailed meeting with the state police department and district electoral officers (DEOs). He is likely to meet 20 central agencies on February 5 to specify what all pending work EC wants completed by February 10.

“The ECI’s primary thrust is three-fold — transfer of state police officers, the condition of booths and coordination with the central agencies,” a senior officer said.

The CEO had held a video-conference with DEOs, asking them to send a detailed profile of booths by February 10. “The commission has asked to complete all the amenities like building of ramp, electricity connection, water facility, resting place by February 10 and send a report to the commission by next week,” said a district magistrate who was at the meeting.

An EC official said: “This year, because of Covid, there has been a 30% increase in booths. There will be a need for additional 47,000-50,000 polling personnel.”