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Bengal Phase 1 Polls: 7 Districts on High Alert for Violence-Free Voting

The Election Commission of India has placed seven districts in West Bengal under a special security scanner for the first phase of Assembly polls. These districts were identified based on research into booth sensitivity and records of poll-related violence over the last 15 years. A heavy deployment of central forces and Quick Response Teams, composed solely of CAPF personnel, will be concentrated in these areas. The commission has also instituted a strict two-stage voter verification process and warned police officers of severe consequences for dereliction of duty.

Key Points: Bengal Phase 1 Polls: 7 Districts Under ECI Security Scanner

  • 7 districts flagged for high security
  • Based on 15-year violence records
  • Maximum CAPF & QRT deployment
  • Two-stage voter verification at booths
3 min read

Bengal 1st phase polls: Seven districts under ECI's special security scanner

ECI flags 7 Bengal districts for special security in Phase 1 polls based on 15-year violence records. High CAPF, QRT deployment ensured.

"concentration of the central forces and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) on the polling day will be maximum in these districts - CEO's office insider"

Kolkata, April 21

As West Bengal is heading for the first phase of the two-phase Assembly polls on April 23 for 152 constituencies scattered over 16 districts, all constituencies in seven out of those 16 districts are under the scanner of the Election Commission of India over security concerns on polling days.

These seven districts are the two minority-dominated districts of Malda and Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Birbhum, West Midnapore, and West Burdwan.

Out of these seven districts, Cooch Behar, Malda, and North Dinajpur are in North Bengal, while the remaining four districts are in South Bengal.

Insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that these seven districts have been identified on the basis of research on booth sensitivity and records of poll-related violence and related casualties in the last 15 years, since 2011.

That is exactly why, a CEO's office insider added, the concentration of the central forces and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) on the polling day will be maximum in these districts.

"At the same time, the majority of the polling booths have been declared as critical or hypersensitive booths," the CEO's officer insider pointed out.

Already, in order to ensure absolutely violence-free polls not only within and around the polling stations, but also in other places where there are possibilities of voters' intimidation, the ECI had ordered the deployment of 2,193 QRTs across the 152 Assembly constituencies where polling will be held in the first phase on April 23.

Murshidabad, which has sustained records of violence in any election in the last 15 years, will have the maximum deployment of 219 QRTs. These QRTs will be constituted only of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, and each team will have only an officer in the rank of Sub-Inspector of police for route guiding.

In every booth, there will be two-stage voters' verification before a voter will be allowed to enter the main polling booth.

The first stage of verification will be by the CAPF personnel present at the booth, and the second stage of verification will be by the Booth-Level Officer (BLO) concerned.

The Commission, a CEO's office insider said, had already issued a strong note of caution for the lower rank police officers like Inspectors, sub-division police officers and district superintendents of police against dereliction of duty on polling days and even cautioned that such dereliction will result in strong departmental proceedings, which will impact their Annual Confidential Report (ACR) and post-retirement benefits.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good move by the Election Commission. The two-stage verification and maximum deployment of central forces in sensitive areas is crucial. Voters should feel safe to cast their vote without any fear or intimidation. This is the foundation of our democracy.
R
Rohit P
While the security measures are necessary, it's disappointing that we haven't progressed beyond this. 15 years of data showing violence? Political parties need to be held accountable for creating this culture of fear around polling booths. The focus should be on changing that mindset.
S
Sarah B
The detailed planning here is impressive. QRTs, verification stages, and even warnings to police officers about their ACR. It shows the ECI is leaving nothing to chance. Hope the voters in these districts respond and turn out in good numbers.
V
Vikram M
Murshidabad getting 219 QRTs alone tells you the story. It's high time local administration and police in Bengal are made accountable. Relying solely on central forces every election is not a sustainable solution. The state machinery must step up.
K
Kavya N
As someone from a neighboring state, I watch Bengal elections with concern. This level of precaution is unheard of elsewhere. Parties must realize that winning through fear and violence is a hollow victory. The real win is the people's mandate, freely given.

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