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Bengal Polls: Counting Centers Cut to 87, Seizures Cross Rs 427 Crore

The Election Commission of India has announced a reduction in the number of counting centers for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections to 87, down from 108 in 2021. The two-phase polling will be held on April 23 and April 29, with results declared on May 4. Concurrently, enforcement drives have led to seizures valued at Rs 427 crore, including cash, liquor, and narcotics. The Commission also reported the removal of over 18 lakh instances of property defacement across the state.

Key Points: Bengal Polls: 87 Counting Centers, Rs 427 Cr Seizures Announced

  • Counting centers reduced from 108 to 87
  • Two-phase polling on April 23 & 29
  • Seizures value reaches Rs 427 crore
  • Over 18 lakh property defacements removed
2 min read

Bengal polls: Counting centres reduced to 87​

ECI reduces Bengal counting centers to 87 for two-phase polls. Seizures worth Rs 427 crore reported, with extensive defacement removal drives completed.

"widespread public and private property defacements have been cleared across all districts - Election Commission"

Kolkata, April 17

The Election Commission of India on Friday announced that the number of counting centres for the forthcoming two-phase elections in West Bengal later this month has been reduced to 87.​

The number of counting centres was 90 in the 2016 state assembly polls, which was subsequently increased to 108 in 2021. This year, the number has been reduced to 87, according to a Commission notification issued on Friday afternoon.​

Of the 87 counting centres, the maximum will be in South 24 Parganas with 12, followed by 8 in North 24 Parganas and 6 in Hooghly. The least will be for Kalimpong, Alipurduar, and Jhargram with one each.​

The two-phase polling in West Bengal will be held on April 23 and April 29. Counting will be conducted, and the results declared on May 4.​

At the same time, the Commission informed on Friday that till 9 p.m. on Tuesday, the total number of property defacements removed stood at 18,38,572.

Of these, 15,80,892 were cases related to public property defacements, and the remaining 2,25,170 were related to private property defacements.​

Extensive drives to remove unauthorised political advertisements are ongoing. As per the latest reports, widespread public and private property defacements have been cleared across all districts, and the District Election Officers have certified removal of defacement from all public properties under their jurisdiction, the Commission stated.​

As per another press note from the Commission, the value of seizures in West Bengal following the drive till date is Rs 427 crore. Out of that amount, Rs 21 crore is cash seizure, Rs 81 crore is liquor, Rs 100 crore is drugs and narcotics, Rs 54 crore is precious metals, and Rs 172 crore is freebies and others.​

The Commission credited these seizures to the 2,728 flying squad teams (FSTs) and 3,142 static surveillance teams (SSTs) deployed in West Bengal to carry out the drives.​

The Commission also stressed that enforcement authorities should ensure that ordinary citizens are not inconvenienced or harassed during checks and inspections for the enforcement of these directives. District Grievance Committees have been set up to address any grievances in this regard, the press note added.​

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
The seizure figures are staggering! ₹427 crore worth of cash, liquor, drugs... This shows how deep the malaise of money power in elections is. Kudos to the FSTs and SSTs. Hope this leads to a cleaner, fairer poll. The focus on not harassing common citizens is also a good directive.
A
Aman W
Good to see the massive clean-up drive removing lakhs of illegal posters and ads. Our cities and towns look so much better without political graffiti on every wall. Hope this becomes a permanent practice, not just during elections. Clean public spaces are our right.
S
Sarah B
The distribution of counting centres seems practical, focusing on more populous districts. South 24 Parganas getting 12 makes sense. As long as the process is secure and monitored, the number is secondary. The real test will be on May 4th – a smooth, peaceful counting process.
V
Vikram M
₹100 crore in drugs and narcotics seized! That's the most shocking part. It reveals the dangerous nexus between politics and the drug trade. This election enforcement is uncovering more than just electoral malpractice. A serious issue that needs continuous action beyond polls.
K
Karthik V
Setting up District Grievance Committees is a welcome move. Often, these enforcement drives cause trouble for common people. At least there's a mechanism to complain now. Hope the EC ensures these committees are responsive and not just for show. The focus should be on the big fish, not harassing aunties and uncles going about their day.

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