Gyanesh Kumar Assures Fair Polls, Says No Eligible Voter Will Be Removed

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday said no eligible voter in West Bengal will be removed from the electoral rolls and assured that the Election Commission will ensure free, fair and peaceful Assembly elections. Speaking in Kolkata after meetings with political parties and officials, he warned that intimidation or violence against voters and election personnel will not be tolerated and said government employees involved in the election process must act with complete neutrality. He added that the number of polling phases will be decided later depending on the law-and-order preparedness of the state machinery.

Referring to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, he said the exercise is being carried out across the country to keep the voter list accurate. Official data released on February 28 shows that around 63.66 lakh names, about 8.3% of the electorate, were deleted since November, reducing the voter base from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore, while more than 60 lakh names are under adjudication and their eligibility will be decided through legal scrutiny following Supreme Court directions. About 4–5% voters could not be mapped with the 2002 rolls and another 7–8% mapped incorrectly. The state has nearly 80,000 polling stations, including around 61,000 in rural areas, and the Election Commission plans 100% webcasting in booths.