CEC Gyanesh Kumar warns against electoral malpractice, silent on voters in limbo

Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner of Election Commission of India, led a full bench review of poll preparedness in West Bengal on Tuesday, concluding a high-level assessment of arrangements ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

Kumar was accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi during the visit, after which the commission addressed a press conference in Kolkata to outline the progress of preparations and key directives issued to the state administration (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

During the briefing, the CEC warned against any form of electoral malpractice and emphasised that the commission remained committed to maintaining the “purity” of the voter list as part of its preparations for the forthcoming polls (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

Addressing the issue of voter deletions and duplications following the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, Kumar said the process regarding flagged names was being carried out in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court and under the supervision of the Chief Justice of West Bengal (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

He explained that judicial officers had been appointed to examine disputed entries and determine the eligibility of electors in accordance with Article 326 and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, with adjudication of pending cases currently underway (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

Kumar noted that during the revision exercise, a large number of entries had been flagged as potentially dead, shifted or duplicate, and said these cases had been referred to judicial officers for adjudication, though he did not specify a timeline for clearing the pending cases (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

Responding to questions about the number of phases in which the Assembly elections might be conducted, the CEC said the decision would depend on the law-and-order preparedness of the state machinery and would be taken by the commission after returning to New Delhi (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

He also said the Election Commission had directed the state administration—including the chief secretary, director general of police and district collectors—to ensure a level playing field, adding that for the first time West Bengal would have 100 per cent webcasting across nearly 80,000 polling stations to enhance transparency (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)