Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday dealt with several questions pertaining to Bengal, which goes to polls next year. Excerpts from Kumar's interaction with reporters at the news meet where he announced the rollout of the second phase of the SIR

Q: Regarding the deadlock between you and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, will there be any special meeting between you on this?

CEC: As far as Bengal is concerned, there is no deadlock. Under the Constitution, all constitutional institutions fulfil their respective responsibilities. The Election Commission is fulfilling its responsibility by conducting a special intensive revision. And similarly, the state governments will also fulfil their respective responsibilities.

Q: It has been said several times from Bengal that they will not allow the SIR. In such a situation, what will the Election Commission do? And secondly, how will it be possible to match the votes there in the way you are planning, because there are many reports that people from outside have come there and their documents are constantly being prepared. If their documents are prepared fraudulently, how will you verify them?

Also ever since the announcement of the panIndia SIR, Trinamool leaders have started saying that there will be a bloodbath in Bengal if voters are deleted. So, in such a situation, what will the Election Commission do to restore faith?

CEC (replies to both questions): As far as Bengal is concerned, since the matter has been raised again, I want to clarify once more that under the Constitution, every constitutional institution has to fulfil its responsibilities. Under Article 324(6), the Election Commission requires electoral personnel for preparing the voter list or conducting elections, and the state government is obligated to provide them on deputation. Similarly, the law and order situation that you mentioned is the constitutional responsibility of the state government, and I have no doubt that every state government, like the Election Commission, will fulfil and has been fulfilling its complete constitutional responsibilities.

Q: Has there been any demand to provide security to booth-level workers in Bengal? Has any such demand for central security come to you? Is it possible to grant such security?

CEC: A matter related to the security of BLOs was raised. The Election Commission is fully confident that law and order will be properly maintained in all 12 states and that such a need will not arise. We hope so.