EC has zero-tolerance to money and muscle power: Arora

With political partiesapprehending violence and unrest in poll-bound West Bengal,Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Friday said thepoll panel has zero-tolerance to money and muscle power andmisuse of the government machinery.

The CEC also said no civic police volunteers will bedeployed for the polling exercise.

''The commission has zero-tolerance to money and musclepower or misuse of government machinery,'' the CEC toldreporters here.

The full bench of the ECI, which is currently in thestate to review preparedness for the assembly polls due inApril-May, held meetings with representatives of politicalparties, senior government officials and police officers.

He said that the EC's expenditure observer will takesteps to prevent misuse of money power.

Claiming that West Bengal is witnessing politicalviolence in the run-up to the elections, opposition partieshave urged the full bench of the EC to ensure that free andfair polls are held in the state.

Describing allegations made by a political partyagainst the Border Security Force (BSF) as ''unfortunate'',Arora said that it is one of the finest forces in the country.

He said the political party concerned should come upwith facts to support its allegations.

The ruling Trinamool Congress alleged that the BSF isthreatening people in the border areas of the state to casttheir votes in favour of a particular political party.

He said the full bench of the EC asked the state'schief secretary and home secretary to look into the issues offake information in the social media raised by politicalparties.

The CEC said that the chief secretary and the homesecretary of the state said that they are following the EC'sguidelines in letter and spirit.