CEC to review Bengal poll preparedness, hold press conference on Tuesday
Kolkata (PTI): Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with senior officials and police officers in West Bengal on Tuesday to review preparedness for the upcoming assembly elections, officials said.
The CEC will also hold a press conference amid controversies over alleged arbitrary deletions in the post-SIR electoral rolls.
Kumar, along with election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, is scheduled to hold meetings with West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, Director General of Police (DGP) Piyush Pandey and other senior officials to assess election-related arrangements in the state.
The poll panel will also review coordination between the state administration and security agencies, including the deployment of central armed police forces, the officials said.
The commission is scheduled to hold a meeting with the chief electoral officer of West Bengal, the state police nodal officer and the CAPF nodal officer to review logistical arrangements and security planning, an official of the CEO's office said.
The commission is also expected to interact with booth-level officers (BLOs) and hold a press conference later in the day.
The meetings are part of the programmes during the Election Commission’s three-day visit to West Bengal to review poll preparedness for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
On Monday, the full bench of the commission met representatives of political parties in Kolkata.
The political parties suggested that the elections be conducted in one or two phases, and urged the commission to take stringent measures to curb intimidation of voters and activities of anti-social elements during the polls.
“A wide range of issues concerning the conduct of elections in the state were discussed. Several parties suggested that the elections be held in one or two phases and assured their cooperation in ensuring that the polls remain peaceful,” a senior Election Commission official said.
During meetings on Monday, the CEC warned that any lapse in maintaining law and order ahead of the elections would not be tolerated and stressed the need for strict monitoring to ensure free and fair polls.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused Kumar of threatening state officials during a meeting with the administration and warned that "false bravado" by constitutional authorities was not acceptable, stepping up the confrontation between the state government and the poll panel.
Speaking from the site of her dharna in central Kolkata against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Banerjee alleged that the chief election commissioner had adopted a threatening tone towards the state bureaucracy.
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Deputy CM Shivakumar slams BJP MPs for their silence on LPG shortage in India
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said the shortage of LPG refills has become a serious concern in the state, amid warnings from hotel owners that they may be forced to shut down operations if supplies do not improve soon.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the issue must be discussed in Parliament and urged Members of Parliament to raise the matter, as the shortage was affecting businesses and the public.
"The government must discuss this in Parliament. They should allow a discussion today... From today itself, we are facing problems. There is no stock," he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister criticised BJP MPs for not speaking about the LPG shortage despite its impact on businesses such as hotels and catering establishments.
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He noted that hoteliers have already begun limiting their operations due to dwindling supplies.
"Now, because of the gas price hike and the gas shortage, people are going on strike, but the BJP MPs are not talking about it. They raise their voice on many other issues - strangely enough - but they are silent on this," he said.
Shivakumar also pointed to the rising fuel costs, saying diesel prices had recently increased sharply, adding further pressure on businesses.
According to him, the combined impact of fuel price increases and LPG supply disruptions was affecting the hospitality sector.
He said even former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda spoke about some of the issues pertaining to Karnataka and called for discussion.
"Deve Gowda is talking about Mekedatu and Yettinahole projects. Let him direct his party MPs to talk about this (fuel shortage) in the Parliament.
It is not right for me to launch a verbal attack on him, considering his age. Let him suggest solutions for Mekedatu and Yettinahole. Let his party MLAs talk about what their party did, and I will counter it with what we have done," Shivakumar said.
Hotel associations in the state have warned that continued supply shortages could force establishments to temporarily shut down, particularly those dependent on commercial LPG cylinders for daily cooking. The Deputy Chief Minister indicated that the issue required urgent attention at the national level, as LPG supply and pricing fall under the Centre's purview.
