EC to send observer to monitor law and order situation in WB

Kolkata, Jan 13 (PTI) Concerned over the law and ordersituation in West Bengal, the Election Commission will send anobserver to monitor the situation in the state.

The decision of the EC comes six days after the chiefelection commissioner S Y Quraishi expressed concern on thespurt in political violence in the state.

State Home secretary G D Gautama said here today thatas part of its assessment exercise, the Commission wouldsend an observer to monitor the law and order situation.

However, the date of the visit is not intimated to the stategovernment yet.

Such information, he said, would be conveyed to thestate through the Chief Electoral Officer.

Meanwhile, state''s Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Guptasaid that a six-member Special EC Observer team would arrivehere on Monday.

Gautama said that the state government, during itsmeeting with the full bench of the Election Commission, soughtdeployment of 800 companies of central forces during theAssembly election in West Bengal.

He said the state would need some of these centralforces, a couple of months before the polling so that thepersonnel could be used for confidence building exercise andcreating awareness of the areas among the forces.

The Home secretary said that the state required 600companies of central forces in 2006 Assembly elections. PTIAKB PB RG