Election Commission's advise to West Bengal governor: 'Don't visit Cooch Behar on polling day'

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has advised West Bengal governor C V Ananda Bose to cancel his proposed visit to Cooch Behar on the day of voting as it violates the model code of conduct, news agency PTI reported quoting sources.

Having come to know of the proposed tour of West Bengal governor to Cooch Behar, where polling is scheduled on April 19 and silence period is starting from this evening, the Election Commission (EC) has advised that the proposed tour may not be undertaken, the sources said.

According to media reports, West Bengal governor had planned to camp in Cooch Behar Lok Sabha constituency in North Bengal on April 19, the day the constituency goes to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Raj Bhavan sources had said the Governor had decided to visit Cooch Behar after considering the record of poll-related violence in previous elections. As per the schedule, the governor was to start for Cooch Behar from Kolkata on Thursday morning and leave the constituency in the evening after the polling was over.

Under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), no local programme can be organised for the governor as proposed in his issued programme, the EC noted in its communication to the office of the governor.

The commission has also noted that the entire district administration and police force will be occupied in election management during April 18 and 19.

The visit of the governor would be a diversion for them from time-bound poll-related work as they will have to provide protocol and local security cover to the "unexpected" proposed visit "without an imminently known requirement".

According to Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act 1951, the "silence period" for Cooch Behar starts from 6 pm April 17, which brings in a multitude of restrictions and a higher level of enforcements by election authorities, the sources said.

On March 16, the day the Election Commission announced the polling schedule, the governor had said that he would be on the field from day one. “I will hit the streets at 6am. I will be available to the people. The political ‘holi’ with human blood that happened in the panchayat elections last year should not be allowed anymore,” the Governor had said on that day.

Last month a new portal was also launched at the Governor’s House in Kolkata through which the governor could directly interact with the common voters in the state and address their grievances about the polls. The portal has a dedicated email through which any voter in the state can directly register their grievances.

(With inputs from agencies)

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