NO PREPONEMENT OF WEST BENGAL ELECTION : QURAISHI

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Press Information Bureau Ministry of I&B <pib.kolkata@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 5:38 PM
Subject: Local Release............1

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

* * * * * *

NO PREPONEMENT OF WEST BENGAL ELECTION : QURAISHI

Kolkata, July 7,2010

 

The Election Commissioner Dr. S.Y. Quraishi has categorically said that there is at present no proposal of preponement of election in West Bengal. Dr. Quraishi termed it as "speculation or wishful thinking or apprehension".  The Election Commission (EC) will start preparation for West Bengal election only in December,2010, he said.  The Election Commissioner was addressing a press conference on the sideline of meeting with District Electoral Officers and Divisional Commissioners of West Bengal in Kolkata today.

 

Dr. Quraishi said that the meeting discussed about preparation of  Photo Electoral Rolls and EPIC. He stressed on the subject that " every eligible person should be able to vote and every ineligible person's name should be removed from the electoral rolls". The Election Commissioner praised the performance of West Bengal in preparation of Photo Electoral rolls, 97% of which is already complete, he said. In case of EPIC preparation, West Bengal is amongst the top five states of India along with Kerala, Tamilnadu, Haryana etc. Dr. Quraishi underlined that the EC has decided that for every polling booth having more than 1200 voters, a new booth will be created so that voters do not have to walk more than two kilometers. He stressed on the need of having one Booth Level Officer (BLO) per booth and he/she must be from the same electoral roll.  " A lot of work in this regard is still to be done", Dr. Quraishi pointed out.

 

Regarding Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)s, the Election Commissioner said that since security is top most priority for the EC, hence EVMs will be used. He clarified that EVM is economical in the long run and also paper saving. Regarding the overall election preparedness of West Bengal, Dr. Quraishi said "we are very very satisfied".

 

Shri V.S.Sampath, Election Commissioner was also present on the occasion.

 

sc/dk/kol/16:49 hrs.

 

--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/