EC Full Bench Arrives in Bengal for Poll Prep Review; Marathon Meetings Scheduled

• Election Commission's full bench arrives in Bengal Sunday evening to review preparations for the state's assembly elections.
• Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal and Special Roll Observer Subrata Gupta will meet CEC Gyanesh Kumar Sunday night for initial discussions on SIR and poll preparations.
• Meetings with political parties, DMs, SPs, Police Commissioners, central forces, State Police DG, Chief Secretary, and BLCs are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
• CEC Gyanesh Kumar defended the SIR method as transparent, ensuring eligible voters (over 18, Indian citizens) are included.
• The visit comes amidst Mamata Banerjee's protest against the exclusion of nearly 60 lakh voters from the final SIR list.