Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar faced protests and was shown black flags during a visit to the Kalighat temple in south Kolkata on Monday morning, with police stepping in to control the situation and ensure his programme continued as scheduled.
Police personnel present at the spot brought the situation under control, allowing the CEC to proceed with his visit to the temple.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar visits Kalighat temple.
The protest came a day after similar demonstrations were reported near the airport on Sunday night following Kumar’s arrival in the city amid tensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
As his convoy was leaving the airport, TMC workers raised "go back" slogans, targeting him.
Black flags were also shown to the CEC when his convoy was passing through the Kaikhali area along the VIP Road.
Activists of Left parties also staged protests outside the airport, heightening tensions in the area.
Protesters raise slogans as CEC Gyanesh Kumar visits Kalighat temple in Kolkata.
Police said the situation was handled firmly, preventing the protests from escalating.
Adequate security arrangements have been made for Kumar's three-day visit ahead of the assembly elections, they said.
Later in the day, Kumar will hold meetings with political parties, enforcement agencies and senior administrative officials to review preparedness for the assembly elections.
Kumar is visiting the state along with Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to assess arrangements for the high-stakes polls.
The full bench of the EC will first meet recognised national and state parties to hear their concerns and suggestions regarding the conduct of elections, officials said.
This will be followed by interactions with nodal officers of enforcement agencies, and a detailed review meeting with senior police and administrative officials, they said.
The meeting is expected to focus on law and order preparedness, deployment planning and coordination among enforcement agencies in the run-up to the elections, they added.
On Tuesday, the final day of the visit, the EC team will hold meetings with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal and the CAPF nodal officer.
Kumar and his team will also interact with booth-level officers and address a press conference before leaving the city.