Balakrishnan meets district officials for smooth second phase poll

Kolkata, Apr 19 (UNI) Deputy ELection Commissioner N Balakrishnan today held a review meeting with four South Bengal district officials to ensure a peaceful, free and fair second phase of assembly elections in West Bengal on April 22.

Presiding over a nearly two hour long video conferencing with the district collector and other senior civil and police officials of East Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia districts at the Writers Buildings here today, Mr Balakrishnan urged them to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election besides preventing malfunctioning of any Electronic Voting Machines(EVM) in any of the 8,000 odd booths in 66 constituencies of the districts on Saturday next.

Later briefing newsmen about the distant conference, Mr Balakrishna said because of the sudden malfunctioning of EVMs in two booths under Jhaldah constituency in Maoist dominated Purulia district during the first phase of polling on April 17, the EC was forced to order repolling in both of them today. This had caused additional expenditure for the Commission as well as the district administration.

He said a preliminary briefing was also given to the district officials about the deployment of security forces before and during the election. Several other aspects of polling was also discussed at length at the conference, he said but refused to elaborate.

Incidentally, the video conference between Mr Balkrishnan and the officials of four districts was arranged on his arrival here today to oversee the arrangements of second phase of polling in West Bengal slated for April 22. State Chief Electoral Officer Debashis Sen accompanied the Deputy Election Commissioner at the video conference.

UNI ABA KK SS1702