Ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in five States, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday held discussions with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla regarding the requirement of central security forces and related matters to conduct free and fair polls. The meeting was held at Nirvachan Sadan. The terms of the assemblies in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Puducherry and Assam will end on May 24, 2021, June 1, 2021, May 30, 2021, June 8, 2021 and May 31, 2021 respectively.
“The meeting was “primarily to discuss requirement vis-Ã -vis availability of central armed police forces (CAPFs), and related matters, for the upcoming Assembly Elections to the States of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Puducherry,” a brief EC statement said.
Top sources said that a team of EC officials had visited poll bound states and discuss the preparations and other matters with state government officials.” The issue of law and order was prominently discussed in the meeting,” said officials.
Keeping in mind social distancing norms due to coronavirus pandemic, the Commission could increase the number of polling stations in these states to restrict the number of voters per polling station.
In the recently-held Bihar polls, the number of voters per polling station was reduced from 1,200 to 1,000, resulting in creation of additional polling stations.
The poll body has recently issued an advisory saying that no officer connected directly with election duties should be allowed to continue in the respective district if he/she is posted in her/his home district. The Commission wrote to the chief secretaries and chief electoral officers of these five states regarding the transfer and posting officers associated with conducting the elections.
According to the EC, the decision follows the consistent policy of the Commission that officers directly connected with conduct of elections in poll-bound State/Union Territory are not posted in their home districts or places where they have served for considerably long periods.