The full bench of the Election Commission that is in Bengal to review the Lok Sabha poll preparation and the law and order situation in the state has held meetings with political parties and will later talk with government officials. The team will also hold talks with district magistrates, superintendents of police and other officials of the state government, news agency PTI reported.
The bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioner Arun Goel, landed in Kolkata on Sunday.
"The EC team started holding meetings with representatives of political parties from 10 am on Monday," an official said.
The team will also meet Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab, Chief Secretary BP Gopalika and DGP Rajeev Kumar.
The visit of the poll body delegations comes ahead of the polls when the state is already witnessing turbulent political developments amid the row over the Sandeshkhali incident. The unrest in the region is in the eye of a political storm with the Opposition accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led ruling TMC government of protecting the accused and questions being raised about the law and order situation in the state.
This comes days after the main accused and TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh was arrested and expelled from the party for six years. Sheikh was facing allegations of sexual violence and land grab.
Prime Minister Modi also lashed out at the Mamata government over the issue as he said the entire country was ashamed of what was happening in the state and seething with anger. He urged the voters to respond to such atrocities through their votes.
"The whole country is sad and is seething with anger after seeing what the TMC, which beats the drum of Maa, Mati, and Manush, has done to the sisters of Sandeshkhali. The TMC leader crossed all limits of audacity with the sisters and daughters in Sandeshkhali. What TMC has done to the sisters of Sandeshkhali is a matter of shame," he said.