Bhubaneswar: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday the Election Commission (EC) will follow the direction issued by the Supreme Court on the electoral bonds and take action accordingly.

Responding to a question at a news conference here, Kumar said necessary steps will be taken as per the order of the court. He, however, did not disclose when the electoral bonds would be made public.

The CEC said the Commission has always favoured transparency in the conduct of elections and all related processes, adding that its affidavit clearly stipulates that.

Kumar and his team, including EC Arun Goel, who arrived in Odisha on a three-day visit to the state to review poll preparedness, concluded their visit on Saturday.

The ECI team held meetings with the representatives of various political parties, both national and regional, the state chief secretary, heads of various enforcement agencies, district election officers, superintendents of police, and other senior officials of the state.

Kumar said the Election Commission is fully prepared for the conduct of elections and said the guidelines should be strictly followed by the administration and the enforcement agencies in conducting free and fair elections in the state.

Odisha will have the state Assembly polls simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections.

(With UNI inputs)