

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The election commission (EC), led by chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, will visit Kerala from March 5 to 7 to assess the poll preparedness in the state ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
The delegation is likely to reach Kerala late on March 5 and would commence its official tour on March 6 and 7. They will hold meetings with election officials, heads of various enforcement agencies and representatives of registered political parties in Kochi.
“Election planning and personnel deployment, electronic voting machine management, logistics, training of election staff, seizures, law and order, voter awareness and outreach activities will also be assessed,” said a senior official. The term of the assembly ends on May 23. Along with Kerala, assembly elections are also imminent in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry.
“After the Kerala visit, the EC delegation will also tour West Bengal on March 9 to 10 following which the dates of the election will be announced in Delhi,” said an official.