West Bengal officials have been warned to curb poll violence, says Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar ensures fair elections in West Bengal, deploying CAPF and monitoring borders to prevent violence and inducements.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on March 5 that the Commission has issued strict instructions to the West Bengal bureaucracy to contain violence and ensure a level playing field during the Lok Sabha polls.

The CEC said adequate Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be available for deployment in West Bengal. Mr. Kumar said that CAPF would be jointly deployed by the nodal officer of the state police, the chief electoral officer and the central observer for the state and information on deployment of forces will be provided to all political parties.

Speaking to the media in Kolkata, the CEC said that the bureaucracy in the State has been fully sensitised to make sure that elections are “free and fair”.

On previous failures to curtail violence during polls, the Chief Election Commissioner said, “Incidents will not be that widespread this time. If violence does happen to spread, then the district administration will take action. If they do not take action then we will make them take action,” Mr. Kumar said.

The CEC said that law enforcement agencies have been instructed to monitor both interstate and international borders to curb flow of inducements, especially drugs, gold, and counterfeit Indian currency.

“All enforcement agencies will coordinate closely and not operate in silos and will ensure not only violence free elections but also prevent any incident,” Mr. Kumar said.

The CEC said the electorate in West Bengal stands at 7.58 crore, including 3.85 crore male and 3.73 crore female voters, with around 15.25 lakh being first-time voters.