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Thursday, Apr 27, 2006

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National

Commission withdraws observer

Special Correspondent

Massive security for third-phase poll in West Bengal

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Wednesday withdrew its expenditure observer for the Belgachia East Assembly constituency in West Bengal, H.R. Beemashankar, for his violation of the model code by addressing the media.

The action followed a complaint made against him and another observer in the constituency, Durga Charan Sahu, by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon, CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat took exception to the remark made by Mr. Bhimashankar, in a media interview, that the constituency was the most "notorious'' in the State and that there was never a free and fair election held there.Mr. Karat said Mr. Bhimashankar's comment, coming on the eve of Thursday's polling and broadcast in the media, would "vitiate the atmosphere and is a blatant attempt to influence public opinion in the constituency.''

Massive arrangements

Kolkata Special Correspondent reports:

Meanwhile, massive security arrangements have been made for the third round of the five-phase elections in West Bengal. Seventy-six constituencies spread across Kolkata and the adjoining districts of South and North 24 Parganas will go to the polls on Thursday.

More than 500 companies of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed.

Among those in the fray are Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, some of his Cabinet colleagues including Subash Chakravarty in Belgachia East; Speaker H.A. Halim; and the former Kolkata Mayor, Subrata Mukherjee.

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