Kolkata, March 10 – The Election Commission of India (ECI) directed the West Bengal administration on Tuesday to complete the first phase of conducting route marches and area domination exercises by Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel in all districts of the state by March 14.
A total of 480 companies of the CAPF have already arrived in West Bengal in two separate batches.
"The ECI had directed the state government to ensure that the first phase of route marches and area domination exercises are conducted in each of the 294 Assembly constituencies in the state by 8 p.m. on March 14," said an insider from the office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
The ECI had already completed the district-wise process of allocating the 480 CAPF companies.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the ECI also announced that retired IAS officers from the West Bengal cadre, Subrata Gupta, who had been the acting special roll observer for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), will also be appointed as the central observer for the forthcoming state Assembly elections.
The CEO's office said that the ECI is extremely pleased with Subrata Gupta's performance as the special roll observer during the SIR process, and therefore, has decided to appoint him as the central observer for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.
At the same time, on Tuesday, the ECI also sought details of the officers-in-charge of police stations in those districts in West Bengal where large-scale post-election violence took place after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
The Commission sought these details from the Acting Director General of the West Bengal Police, Peeyush Pandey.
Besides, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar also sought details of the immediate superiors of these officers-in-charge at that time.