Kolkata, Mar 26 : The Election Commission is expected to hold a meeting later on Saturday with the state officials, including senior police and paramilitary forces, regarding the law and order situation and deployment of the central forces for April 12 bypolls to the Ballygunge assembly and Asansol Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. Sources said about 133 Central Armed Paramilitary Forces, including the CRPF, BSF and CISF, are expected to be deployed in phases to man the polling booths and centres in West Burdhaman’s Asansol and Ballygunge assembly seats in the city. The forces are expected to be on duty for area domination from early next month or end of this week. State chief election officer Ariz Aftab, who already held a virtual meeting with the ECI officials on Friday, would also participate in the video conferencing meeting later today, sources said. The ADG ( Law and Order) West Bengal, senior officials from BSF, CRPF and CISF and others would take part in the virtual meeting, sources added. The by-poll is slated for April 12 and the results would be announced on April 16. Actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha and singer turned former on minister Babul Suproiyo are contesting from Lok Sabha and Assembly seats respectively. Main opposition BJP has fielded designer turned political activist Agnimitra Paul and Keya Ghosh to challenge the ruling party candidates resepctively and Left Front named Saira Shah Halim of the CPI(M) as its candidate for the bypoll in the Ballygunge assembly seat and Partha Mukherjee for industrial Asansol seat. The bypoll was necessitated in the Asansol constituency as Babul Supriyo resigned as the BJP MP after joining the TMC. The Ballygunge seat fell vacant as incumbent MLA and state minister Subrata Mukherjee died in November last. PC BM
