The Election Commission has advised West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose to cancel his proposed visit to Cooch Behar on the day of the first phase of voting. The Commission stated that the Governor's visit on the polling day could be a breach of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Governor CV Ananda Bose was scheduled to visit Cooch Behar on the 18th and 19th of April, which has been restricted by the ECI admonishing it may affect the election process. It should be noted that Cooch Behar is set to conduct polling on April 19th.
According to sources from the Raj Bhavan, Governor CV Ananda Bose decided to visit Cooch Behar after reflecting on the records of past election violence. As per the original schedule, he was to depart from Kolkata to Cooch Behar on Thursday morning and return after the polling wrapped up in the evening. The Election Commission underscored that under the MCC, no local events for the Governor can be organized on the day of voting.
April 18 & 19:
The Commission also mentioned, 'The entire district administration and police force will be preoccupied with election management on the 18th and 19th of April. The Governor's visit would distract them (police and administration) from time-bound election-related duties as they would have to provide protocol and local security cover for the Governor's proposed visit.' Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act 1951 stipulates that the 'silence period' for any constituency that is casting votes on April 19th will begin from the evening of April 17th at 6 PM and continue until 7 PM on polling day. This period involves various restrictions and heightened security arrangements.
The Election Commission announced the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on March 16th. Governor CV Ananda Bose affirmed he would be out in the field from day one, saying, 'I will be on the streets at 6 AM and available for the people.' He emphasized, 'The politicized Holi of human blood witnessed in the state during last year's Panchayat elections must not be allowed.' Last month, a new portal was launched at the Kolkata Governor's House, enabling the Governor to directly engage with the state's electorate and address their election-related complaints. The portal includes a dedicated email through which any voter in the state can register their election-related grievances directly to the Governor.
