CEC to Visit West Bengal in March; to Review Arrangements for Lok Sabha Elections

Sources said that the full bench of the Chief Election Commission will arrive in the first week of March where the bench will meet the recognised political parties and civil and police officials to take their feedback over the ongoing preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Kolkata: The Central Election Commission is likely to visit West Bengal in early next month to take stock of the arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled in May this year, sources said. According to the sources within the Central Election Commission, the full bench of the National Election Commission will come to the state on March 1 or the first week of March.

If everything goes according to plan, the Lok Sabha election schedule may be published in the second week of March, said the sources. The Chief Election Commission has started preparations for the Lok Sabha polls since last year. The commission has also held meetings with the District Magistrate and election officials of each district.

A number of notifications regarding polls have been published much earlier than past. The full bench of the commission is coming to the state to examine how the election preparation work is going on in the state. So far it is known that the full bench will meet with the Chief Electoral Officer of the state along with the officials of other departments when it reaches Kolkata on March 1.

The visiting CEC team is likely to hold a meeting with the recognized political parties of the state from 10 am on March 2 and listen to complaints with regard to the election preparations. Later, a meeting will follow with all District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of the respective districts. The visiting team of the CEC will also hold a meeting with various departments of the state government on March 3.

Besides, a meeting will be held with Kolkata Police Commissioner, State Police DG, Home Secretary and Chief Secretary before the CEC's scheduled press conference. The full bench will return to Delhi the next day. In addition to Bengal, the National Election Commission has also started working on preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in other states as well.

After a mega meeting of the National Election Commission in Delhi, the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is expected to be announced by March 10.