Kolkata : The iconic Howrah Bridge and 145 model polling stations will be on the itinerary of a 14-member Nepalese election management panel scheduled to witness Lok Sabha balloting in West Bengal’s Howrah district April 30.
The visit is part of South-South Cooperation initiative of the Election Commission (EC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the area of poll management.
“The delegates from Nepal will arrive in the state April 29 and will witness polling April 30. As for now, the plan is to cover the model polling stations in Howrah. Depending on the time available, they will try to visit as many poll booths as possible” an officer said.
“They will go around the area and see for themselves the entire process. Prior to that, they will also meet us and discuss poll preparations,” Amit Roy Chowdhury, officer on special duty in the West Bengal chief electoral officer’s office, told reporters here.
In addition, places of interest like the Howrah Bridge, the Botanical Gardens in Shibpur and Belur Math will also be included in the tour.
April 30 will see nine Lok Sabha seats — Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, Arambagh, Bardhaman Purba, Bardhaman Durgapur, Bolpur and Birbhum — go to the hustings in the third phase of polls in the state.
The Nepali officials will arrive in Delhi April 28 and meet senior officials at the Election Commission.
Teams from a total of 22 other countries are to visit Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh to observe the poll process.