Essence of democracy lies in free & fair polls: Dhankhar

Kolkata, Aug 10 (IANS) Emphasising that free and fair elections represent the essence of democracy, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said the right needs to be effectively secured in the interest of democracy.The governor's remark came during a meeting he had with Chief Election Commisisoner Sunil Arora, who called on the state's constitutional head at Raj Bhawan here.They were together for about an hour.Dhankhar complimented the Chief Election Commissioner for the conduct of the last Lok Sabha elections, and "urged him to continue to pursue efforts to secure for every eligible voter right to vote and that the franchise be exercised without any fear", according to a Raj Bhawan press release.Dhankhar also presented to the CEC a copy of 'The Story of Government House' authored by N.V.H Symons, which gives a historical description of the Raj Bhawan.
--IANS ssp/prs