NewKerala.com

Bengal Counting Centres Cut to 77 Amid Election Commission Revision

The Election Commission has reduced counting centres in West Bengal to 77 from 87 for the Assembly elections. The state CEO's office has published district-wise lists of centres covering all 294 constituencies. Trinamool Congress has questioned the rearrangement of counting centres ahead of the counting process. CEO Manoj Agrawal stated that the number could be reduced further if required.

Key Points: Bengal Counting Centres Reduced to 77 by ECI

  • Counting centres reduced from 108 to 77 in two steps
  • 294 Assembly constituencies covered
  • Trinamool Congress questions rearrangement
  • Highest centres in North 24 Parganas (7) and South 24 Parganas (6)
3 min read

Bengal to have 77 counting centres after fresh ECI revision

Election Commission reduces West Bengal counting centres from 87 to 77 for Assembly polls. Trinamool Congress questions decision. CEO says further cuts possible.

"We are examining the situation. A decision will be taken after that. - Manoj Agrawal"

Kolkata, April 30

The Election Commission on Thursday further reduced the number of counting centres in West Bengal ahead of the counting of votes. Two weeks ago, the number had been reduced from 108 to 87. After the two-phase Assembly polls, the Commission has now brought down the number of counting centres in the state to 77.

On Thursday, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) informed that votes for all 294 Assembly constituencies will be counted at 77 centres across the state. The district-wise list of counting centres has been published, along with the addresses of each centre.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, votes were counted at 90 centres in the state. The number of counting centres was increased to 108 in the 2021 Assembly elections. On April 17, the Commission reduced the number to 87, and it has now been further reduced to 77.

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday questioned the decision to rearrange the counting centres ahead of the counting process. State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agrawal said that the number of counting centres can be reduced even further than 77 if required.

He said: "We are examining the situation. A decision will be taken after that."

According to district-wise figures, there will be one counting centre in Alipurduar, three in Bankura, three in Birbhum, five in Cooch Behar, two in South Dinajpur, three in Darjeeling, five in Hooghly, four in Howrah, two in Jalpaiguri, one in Jhargram, one in Kalimpong, five in Kolkata (one in north Kolkata and four in south Kolkata), two in Malda, five in Murshidabad, four in Nadia, seven in North 24 Parganas, two in West Burdwan, three in West Midnapore, four in East Burdwan, four in East Midnapore, three in Purulia, six in South 24 Parganas, and two in North Dinajpur district.

There will be five counting centres for the 11 Assembly constituencies in Kolkata. Counting of votes will be held on Monday at Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University on Ballygunge Circular Road, Ballygunge Government High School, Netaji Indoor Stadium, Shakhawat Memorial School, and St Thomas Boys' School on Diamond Harbour Road.

The state has the highest number of Assembly constituencies in North 24 Parganas, where votes for 33 seats will be counted at seven centres. These include Barasat Government High School, Basirhat High School, Basirhat Polytechnic College, Bidhannagar College, Deenabandhu Mahavidyalaya in Bangaon, Guru Nanak College campus in Panihati, and Rashtraguru Surendranath College in Barrackpore.

Votes for 31 seats in South 24 Parganas will be counted at six centres -- APC Roy Polytechnic College in Jadavpur, Bankim Sardar College in Canning, Diamond Harbour Women's University, Biharilal College in Alipore, Hastings House complex, and Sundarbans College in Kakdwip.

Counting of five seats in Alipurduar will be conducted at Alipurduar University. Counting of seven seats in Jalpaiguri will take place at two centres -- North Bengal University's second campus and Parimal Mitra Smriti College. Counting of one seat in Kalimpong will be conducted at Scottish Universities Mission Institution. Counting of four seats in Jhargram will take place at Rani Indira Devi Government School.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
TMC questioning this move is expected, but ECI should have given a clear reason for the reduction. Is it about security, logistics, or something else? Voters deserve transparency. Also, why only Bengal? Feeling a bit uneasy about this last-minute change.
A
Arun Y
Let's be honest – Bengal elections are always tense. If reducing centres helps ECI manage security better (given the history of violence in some areas), then it might be a practical move. But they should have planned this earlier, not just days before counting. Chaotic planning as usual. 😒
S
Swati Y
Actually, this might not be as bad as it sounds. Fewer centres means more concentration of EVMs and personnel, which could reduce chances of tampering. But TMC has a point – rearranging centres so close to counting day raises suspicion. ECI must ensure all parties have equal access to observe the process. No room for error!
J
James A
Interesting – 77 centres for 294 seats means each centre handles about 4 constituencies on average. That's actually efficient in terms of resource allocation, but I wonder if the distance for some polling agents to travel to these centres is a concern. The ECI should have published this list weeks ago, not now.
S
Suresh O
Forget the number of centres – I just hope the counting is fair and accurate. With all the allegations of EVM hacking and booth capturing in Bengal, ECI needs to be extra cautious. Otherwise, whoever wins, the loser will cry foul. Let the process be transparent for once! 🙏

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50