Kolkata, The Election Commission of India on Tuesday said a delegation from Bangladesh will visit Kolkata on May 18 to observe the poll process in the city, an official said.
“The Commission has informed us that Bangladesh representatives will be here on May 18. They will be shown the election process by taking them on a visit to various polling stations,” Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Basu told reporters here.
He said the Bangladesh nationals can interact with the poll officials and agents. But they will not be allowed to take pictures.
“Foreign nationals do pay a visit and Bangladesh representatives will come to Kolkata. The booths and constituencies to be visited will be decided by CEO Ariz Aftab,” Basu said.
According to sources in the commission, the Bangladeshi deputy high commission in Kolkata had requested ECI for the visit.
Asked about state Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya’s letter to the CEO regarding the conduct of Central forces, Basu said: “At the moment there is no updated information regarding the letter”.
Bhattacharya on Monday highlighted some instances where the Central forces resorted to ‘baton charges and firing’. He alleged the Quick Response Team(QRT) could not reach some places on time as they were not led by local officers.
“I would therefore request that the decision of not having a local officer in charge of QRTs be re-examined. I would also request that the CAPF officers and personnel be sensitised to the needs of the voters who are exercising their franchise, which would reduce the perceived need to resort to physical force against them,” Bhattacharya wrote.
Talking about the counting day, Basu revealed that this time the process will be directly uploaded on ‘Suvidha App’ and results.eci.gov.in on real-time basis. The votes will be counted on May 23 begining 8 am.
“The results of every round will be declared after sharing it on the above platforms. It means that it will be there on the public domain for everyone to see,” he added.
