Election Commission full bench holds meetings with political parties in Bengal

Kolkata: The full bench of the Election Commission (EC) on Monday started meeting representatives of political parties, and would later meet government officials to discuss preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, an official said.

The EC bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioner Arun Goel, arrived in Kolkata on Sunday.

"The EC team started holding meetings with representatives of political parties from 10 am on Monday," he said.

After the meetings with the political parties, the EC team will hold parleys with district magistrates, superintendents of police and other officials of the state government, the official said.

They will also meet Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab, Chief Secretary BP Gopalika and DGP Rajeev Kumar.

The EC team's visit is primarily aimed at taking stock of the law and order situation in the state, and overseeing preparations for the Lok Sabha polls, he said.