EC chief to review Meghalaya poll preparedness

Shillong, Dec 20 (IANS) A full bench of the Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti will arrive here on Friday on a two-day visit to take stock of the preparedness for the 2018 Meghalaya Assembly elections, an official said on Wednesday.

Joti will be accompanied by Election Commissioners Om Prakash Rawat and Sunil Arora. The five-year term of the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly will expire on March 6.

The ninth Meghalaya Assembly was constituted on March 1, 2013 and fresh elections are scheduled to be held in February.

Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor said the Election Commission officials will review the poll preparedness with Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police along with Divisional Commissioners.

The Commission will also hold a separate meeting with Central Armed Police Forces and Income Tax officials.

They would also held meetings with Chief Secretary Y. Tsering, Principal Secretary Home M.S. Rao and Director General of Police Swaraj Bir Singh

The Election Commission officials will also meet leaders of political parties.

Last week, a five-member team of the Election Commission headed by Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar took stock of the state preparedness for the assembly elections.

The team expressed satisfaction and said preparatory arrangements for Assembly election was on track.

The Congress has been ruling the state for a second consecutive term.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the election campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on December 16, sought people's support to oust the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government headed by Mukul Sangma.