Kolkata, Jan 5 (IANS) The Chief Electoral Office (CEO), West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, will attend a crucial meeting chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEO), Gyanesh Kumar, at the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s headquarters in Delhi to discuss the requirements for Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the state’s Assembly polls, scheduled this year.

The meeting will also be attended by the CEOs of the other poll-bound states, namely Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

However, sources in the CEO’s office said the case for West Bengal is special, as the CEO is expected to highlight the requirement for additional CAPF deployment in the state’s polls this time, considering the suggestion for a lesser number of voting phases compared to what they were in the previous Assembly elections in 2021 and 2015.

An insider from the CEO’s office said the suggestion will be to complete the election in a single phase, and if not possible, in a maximum of two phases, but not more than that. “So naturally, more companies of CAPF deployment will be required this time than what they were in the last two Assembly polls. All these are scheduled to be discussed at the crucial meeting at ECI’s office in New Delhi today,” the source said.

In 2021, the Assembly elections were conducted in eight phases, with the first phase being on March 27 and the last phase on April 29.

In 2016, the elections were conducted in six phases, with the first phase divided into two days, effectively making it a seven-phase poll.

At the same time, he added, the CEO will also brief the ECI on a summary of booth-wise law and order situation in West Bengal, which has been collected from different district police authorities, Kolkata Police, and other police commissionerates.

“Discussion will also be held on the effective use of different Central and state police forces to check the use of unaccounted money in the polls, as well as the prevention of entry of arms and outsiders with past criminal antecedents. The issue of sealing of international borders, as well as increased surveillance at the state borders, will also be discussed, considering that just around three months are left for the polls,” the source said.

During his recent three-day tour to West Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the Assembly polls will be completed by April this year.

–IANS

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