Full bench of ECI to hold all-party meet on March 4

MP, 23 Feb 2024 : The full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is going to visit the state on March 3 instead of March 4 which was earlier announced. The full bench is expected to hold an all-party meeting on March 4. 

It may also conduct a meeting with the police administrations to take a stock of poll preparedness on the same day. A meeting may also take place with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). The full bench is expected to hold a meeting with the Chief Secretary of the state and the Director General of Police on March 5. 

There may be a press conference on the same day. Incidentally, the office of the CEO is likely to hold a meeting on February 28 with the officials of two districts - North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas, including the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police during which a detailed discussion will take place on Sandeshkhali developments. 

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is closely monitoring the developments in trouble-hit Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. The CEO office has started the process of sending daily reports on the developments of the Sandeshkhali incident to the ECI’s headquarters in Delhi. 

The CEO office has been asked to mention every minute development relating to Sandeshkhali in the daily reports, sources said. The development is significant in view of the scheduled visit of the full bench of the ECI to Bengal in the first week of March. The CEO held a meeting with the nodal officer of the CRPF on Thursday. It was learnt that the ECI is eager to make deployment of Central forces in each booth in the region. Root march in the affected areas will be given top priority. 

According to sources, a section of the state police administration has come under the scanner of the ECI following the incident, especially after the Calcutta High Court raised observations regarding “neutrality”. 

Sandeshkhali has been on the boil for some time following protests by local women over alleged sexual harassment by the associates of absconding Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan. Shahjahan is the accused mastermind behind the attack on ED and CAPF sleuths on January 5 in the area. 

The ECI has already written to the state government seeking the list of sensitive booths in each Lok Sabha constituency. Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the state government to submit details regarding complaints of violence received from the area during the Panchayat polls last year. 

The matter was being heard by the Division Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, who verbally informed the counsel representing state government that he remembered a case pertaining to poll violence at Sandeshkhali being referred to the Bench during the Panchayat polls. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/full-bench-of-eci-to-hold-all-party-meet-on-march-4-553306