Apparently unhappy with the current situation in Bengal and talking tough, Central Election Commissioner Nasim Jaidi said on Thursday that Central forces and not the State police will be in charge of the next year’s Assembly elections in Bengal, “promising a free, fair and peaceful elections,” this time round.
Headed by Jaidi, a full Bench of Election Commission of India, which visited Kolkata and met the representatives of all the political parties before announcing that the State police would be under the ECI scanner and that things would be different from what it happened during the recently-concluded civic and rural elections.
The Commissioner directed all “officers of the State Government to remain neutral, fare and just”, saying it will be ensured that “no voter is deprived from the right of voting and that responsibility will lie on the district electoral officers and the ECI will see to things that elections are free, fair and just.”
Jaidi also said that Observers will come from outside the State and help of technology will be taken to ensure that the complaints about any malpractice were immediately registered with Commission.
Earlier, representatives of all the political parties, including the left, Congress, Trinamool Congress and BJP met the Commission where they demanded a 2-3 layered security for the booths and adequate area domination before the elections.
“The Commission is aware of what has been happening here for the past few years. We have demanded complete area domination before the elections,” CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb said.