EC full bench to review UP law and order from tomorrow

Lucknow, Feb 27 (UNI) The full bench of the Election Commission will be in Uttar Pradesh from tomorrow to assess the law and order situation, besides looking after the deployment of central forces and review of the transfers of officials for the coming seven phase assembly polls in April-May.

State chief electoral officer Anuj Kumar Bishnoi said here today that Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy and two other commissioners Navin Chawla and S Y Quereshi will reach here tomorrow morning and review the election preparations.

''The main thrust for the EC will be to assess the law and order situation and deployment of good officials for conducting free and fair polls,'' he said.

EC has hinted than about 600 companies of central forces would be used in the UP polls along with over one lakh policemen of the state.

During the two-day stay in the state capital, the three-member commission will interact with the representatives of political parties and hold a high-level meeting of the district civil and police officials.

The commission, during its visit, will also consider the demand of the opposition political parties about the appointment of some biased officials in certain districts by the present Mulayam Singh Yadav government.

Though there has been no major violation in the model code of conduct so far after the announcement of polls on Februrary 21, EC has received reports of some violation, mostly by state ministers.

Another area of thrust for the EC will be to provide Election Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) to the voters and to rectify or remove irregularities in the electoral rolls.

With the EC insisting that only those with EPIC, will cast vote, it is a hereculin task for the state government to complete the distribution and photography of the entire over 110 million electorate. At present, EC is claiming to have completed EPICs of 77 per cent of the total voters in the state.

Meanwhile, 21 special observers of the EC will complete their work tomorrow and submit their report to the commission very soon.

These special observers were sent to the state on February 25 to give their first hand report on the general law and order, EPICs and electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh.

EC had announced seven-phase polling for the UP assembly on February 21. The poll process will begin on March 13 with the notification for the first phase while it will end in mid May after counting of votes, to be taken up on May 11, for all the 403 assembly seats.

UNI