Ahead of civic polls in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday asked State Election Commissioner Saurabh Kumar Das to take steps to ensure that there is “no violence and kind of scenario noticed in the panchayat elections held in May 2018.”
“Governor Dhankhar emphasised that the State Election Commission as a constitutional body is obligated to provide a level playing field to all parties and candidates and ensure free and fair elections where voters exercise their vote freely,” a press statement from the Raj Bhawan said. The State Election Commissioner called on the Governor during the day.
Elections to the rural bodies in 2018 were marred by violence.
Mr. Dhankhar said that if needed Mr. Das should “take recourse to transferring officials in the interest of ensuring fair and peaceful polls.”
The Governor also suggested that the SEC should have a “prior engagement with the administrative and police heads concerned.”
Elections to major civic bodies, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the Howrah Municipal Corporation, are likely to held in April 2020.
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