EC convenes two-day emergency meet ahead of Bengal polls

Kolkata, Mar 1 (PTI) The Election Commission on Sunday convened a two-day emergency meeting from March 2 to review preparedness for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, amid heightened political speculation over the poll schedule, an official said.

The meetings will be held in multiple phases, with focus on security arrangements and coordination among administrative and enforcement agencies, he said.

"On Monday, discussions will begin at 11 am. In the first phase, the commission will meet commissioners, inspector generals, deputy inspector generals, district election officers and SPs. A second round of meetings will follow with senior police officers, primarily to review law and order and security deployment," he said.

Sources said nearly 240 companies of the central armed police forces have already reached the state, and route marches have commenced.

The deployment and further security planning are expected to be reviewed in detail.

On Tuesday, the commission is scheduled to hold meetings with the chief electoral officer of the state and senior officials of central enforcement agencies, including the Income Tax Department, Narcotics Control Bureau, Reserve Bank of India and the Enforcement Directorate, along with nodal officers of the state police.

"The commission will take stock of preparedness at every level and fine-tune the security and enforcement framework before the announcement of polls," another senior official said.

Earlier, a delegation led by the deputy election commissioner and comprising around eight officials was scheduled to visit West Bengal on Sunday and Monday to meet district election officers and police superintendents. However, the visit was deferred following a request from the state secretariat, Nabanna.

The sudden decision to hold back the visit, followed by the Commission's move to call emergency meetings, has further intensified speculation over the imminent announcement of election dates. PTI SCH MNB