ECI team meets officials to review poll preparedness in Haryana

Chandigarh, Aug 12 (PTI) An Election Commission team led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday held a review meeting with concerned Haryana officials to review poll preparedness for assembly elections in the state.

The ECI team, also comprising Election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, arrived here earlier in the day on a two-day visit.

Elections to the Haryana Assembly are due later this year.

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal briefed the commission on the poll preparations.

The ECI team held a review meeting with divisional commissioners, range inspector generals of police, district election officers, and superintendents of police to discuss election preparations in detail, according to an official release.

CEC Kumar and the election commissioners also met Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad, Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur and the administrative secretaries, said the release.

Earlier, the ECI team met representatives of national and state political parties.

A delegation of the Indian National Lok Dal demanded that the age limit, under the vote-for-home scheme, should be brought down to 80 years, instead of 85 at present.

The INLD delegation, led by party leader M S Malik, also sought polling booths for elderly people and persons with disabilities near their homes.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanded fair and effective implementation of the model code of conduct in the upcoming polls.

A three-member state delegation of the CPI(M) led by Virender Malik, Om Prakash and Satish Sethi met the EC team and gave their suggestions.

On Tuesday, the poll panel team will meet representatives of the enforcement agencies to issue guidelines for enhancing monitoring and vigilance across the state. PTI CHS VSD RHL