'There Is No Place For Intimidation In Elections': Election Commissioner To West Bengal Bureaucracy (Photo on X Rajiv kumar @rajivkumarec)

As the election commission is all set to announce the 2024 Lok Sabha election schedule in a few days, Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar today said that the commission issued strict directions to the West Bengal bureaucracy to ensure a level playing field for all political parties in the state.

He was addressing a press conference in West Bengal. Mr Kumar was in the state to review the election preparedness ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Mr Kumar further asserted that any form of violence would not be tolerated during the election. “There is no place for fear or intimidation in elections. Partisan approach of the bureaucracy will not be tolerated; we have made this clear,” he said.

Mr Kumar said that an adequate number of the central forces will be deployed in the state in an impartial manner. “Police officials have been instructed to be impartial and be accessible to all political parties at the district level.” He further noted that the Superintendent of Police (SP)s have been told to take immediate action if there is any complaint of intimidation. “They have assured us that it will be done. If they don”t act, we know what needs to be done to make them act,” Rajiv Kumar added.

Talking about the polling stations, the election commissioner said that there will be stations entirely managed by women. “We try to deploy female security personnel in those polling stations,” he added. The election commissioner also talked about the representation of persons with disabilities in the poll stations. “Some polling stations will be established entirely by persons with disabilities. This will present an example for the society that they are no less than anyone else,” he said