Kolkata, March 8 – The Election Commission of India (ECI)’s full bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, arrived in Kolkata from New Delhi late on Sunday evening with a packed schedule for the next two days.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar and his team were received at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport by West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal and state Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty.
CEC Kumar is scheduled to begin the visit early on Monday morning with a visit to the iconic Kali temple at Kalighat in south Kolkata, which is located close to the residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, before commencing the official schedule of the two-day visit.
According to the itinerary, the Commission’s full bench will hold meetings with representatives of different registered political parties on Monday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, with each party being allotted 10 minutes for interaction.
The Trinamool Congress, being the ruling party in the state, is expected to get the first slot during the interaction with the ECI’s full bench.
Initially, it was decided that the Trinamool Congress delegation meeting Kumar would have three representatives – two Lok Sabha members, Mahua Moitra and Kalyan Banerjee, and one Rajya Sabha member, Samirul Islam.
However, late on Sunday night, the ruling party informed that three additional representatives had been included in the delegation scheduled to meet CEC Kumar.
Two of the additional members are West Bengal Minister of Municipal Affairs and Urban Development and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor, Firhad Hakim, and Minister of State for Finance (independent charge), Chandrima Bhattacharya.
The third additional member included in the team is Rajeev Kumar, the recently retired acting Director General of West Bengal Police, who is slated to become a Rajya Sabha member of the Trinamool Congress.
After completing the two-day schedule, the Commission’s full bench will return to New Delhi on the evening of March 10.
