Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar faced protests with 'go back' slogans and black flags during his visit to Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata. The protests were over alleged arbitrary deletions in the post-SIR electoral rolls in the state.
Kumar continued with his scheduled programmes despite the protests and said the poll panel is committed to violence-free elections in West Bengal.
The CEC warned that any lapse in maintaining law and order ahead of the elections would not be tolerated and stressed the need for strict monitoring to ensure free and fair polls.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused Kumar of threatening state officials, stepping up the confrontation between the state government and the poll panel over voter deletions.
According to official data, 63.66 lakh names have been deleted since the SIR process began, reducing the voter base from 7.66 crore to 7.04 crore.
