KOLKATA: The Election Commission has decided to send five special teams to oversee poll preparations. Though the EC has said this arrangement is aimed at making the polls free and fair, sources indicated the commission is dissatisfied with Bengal's arrangements. The teams, each headed by a chief electoral officer of a state, will reach Bengal on March 18 and submit their reports to the EC on March 23.
"The five IAS officers who will head the teams are chief electoral officers (CEOs) of Punjab, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Chattishgarh and Delhi - V K Singh, Anil Kumar Jha, Narendra Chohan, Nidhi Chibbar and Chadra Bhusan Kumar respectively. The teams will be comprised of an officer of the rank of joint CEO, deputy CEO, an IPS officer and two officials from the commission. The teams have been assigned to specific districts," said joint CEO Dibyedu Sarkar.
The team headed by Singh will oversee East and West Mindapore, Howrah and Hooghly; Jha has been assigned South and North 24-Parganas and north and south Kolkata; Chohan will oversee Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum and Burdwan; Chibbar will inspect South and North Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia, and Kumar has been assigned Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling.
In his visit to the state two days back, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr Nasim Zaidi came down hard on several district magistrates and SPs. He asked police commissioner and the KMC commissioner for an explanationsfor the non-execution of the Model Code of Conduct.
Zaidi, in a press conference with DMs and SPs said, "We have received complaints of inaction by the police. We are assessing them. Election officers and other police officials are under the direct scanner of the commission and we will take appropriate action against them soon."
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