NEW DELHI: To ensure free and fair voting for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections on November 6 and 11, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday reviewed the prevailing security situation in the state.
It directed senior officials in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to ensure heightened vigilance in areas bordering the poll-bound state with enhanced checks to monitor movement of people, materials and money, including arms, anti-social elements, liquor, narcotics and freebies from across the international border with Nepal.
The officials said that the Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar gave the direction at a coordination meeting on inter-State border issues in Bihar held with the Chief Secretaries, DGPs and Principal Secretaries (Home) of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, along with officers from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Railways and all other enforcement agencies.
CEC Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, reviewed law-and-order arrangements in Bihar and its neighbouring states to monitor movement of people, materials and money, including arms, anti-social elements, liquor, narcotics and freebies also from across the international border with Nepal, they said.
A special focus was placed on bordering districts and sealing of borders to maintain peace and order, the officials said.
“During the meeting, Kumar underscored the Commission’s commitment to free, fair, peaceful and inducement-free elections, calling upon all stakeholders to work seamlessly to uphold the integrity of the electoral process,” a senior ECI official said.
The Commission also reviewed compliance with voter-facilitation directions to ensure a pleasant and smooth experience for voters on the day of polling. The Chief Secretaries and DGPs, along with heads of central agencies, were directed to ensure a peaceful and inducement-free election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar.
The Chief Secretaries and the DGs of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and the DG of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) were instructed to ensure heightened vigilance in areas bordering Bihar, with enhanced checks at inter-State posts.
Central agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Income Tax Department, Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), were directed to intensify efforts in the run-up to the polls and maximise seizures, acting upon intelligence.
