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Bengal Polls: ECI Orders All 294 General Observers at Counting Centres on May 4

The Election Commission of India has directed all general observers for 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal to be present at counting centres on May 4 from 8 a.m. until completion. Observers are made accountable for any disturbances or irregularities during the counting process. Security measures include 200 companies of CAPF at counting rooms with three-stage identity verification for entry. To prevent post-poll violence, 700 companies of CAPF will remain in the state until further orders.

Key Points: Bengal Polls: ECI Mandates Observers at All 294 Seats for Counting

  • ECI orders all 294 general observers to be present at counting centres on May 4
  • Observers accountable for any disturbances or irregularities
  • 200 companies of CAPF deployed for innermost security at counting rooms
  • 700 companies of CAPF retained in state to prevent post-poll violence
2 min read

Bengal polls: ECI directs general observers for all 294 seats to be present at counting centres on May 4

ECI directs general observers for all 294 Bengal Assembly seats to be present at counting centres on May 4, with strict security and accountability measures.

"The general observers have been asked to give regular updates about the proceedings of the counting process to the central control room - CEO's office insider"

Kolkata, May 1

The Election Commission of India on Friday directed the general observers for all the 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal to be present at the respective counting centres and the counting halls before the counting of votes at 8 a.m. on May 4 and be present there till the counting is completed and the winning certificates are handed over to the elected candidates.

An insider from the office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that the Commission had also decided to make the general observers accountable for any disturbance or irregularities in the counting process.

"The general observers have been asked to give regular updates about the proceedings of the counting process to the central control room at the CEO's office in Kolkata and the district-level control rooms at the officers of the District Magistrates, also known as the district electoral officers, concerned," the CEO's office insider added.

Meanwhile, the ECI had already directed several steps to prevent violence or misappropriation on and after the counting day.

"So far it is decided that 200 companies of central armed police forces (CAPFs) personnel will be deployed for security at the innermost circles of the counting stations, which are the counting rooms. Apart from that there will be two other layers of security, one within the counting centres and others outside the counting centres," the CEO's office insider said.

This time, the number of counting centres will be much less at 77, in order to ensure security concentration there.

The entry to counting centres by authorised electoral officers and staff, political party agents and candidates would require a three-stage verification process.

The identity cards will be verified in three stages.

In the first and second stages, the identity card will be checked manually. In the third stage, QR code verification will be required.​.

At the same time, to prevent possibilities of post-poll violence which happened after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, the ECI has decided to retain 700 companies of CAPF in the state till further orders.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Shweta Y
Three-stage verification sounds thorough but I hope it doesn't cause delays. Counting day is already tense enough. Let's just have a fair and transparent process. 🙏
K
Kirti O
ECI should also ensure that the general observers are neutral and not influenced by local leaders. We've seen how things can go wrong. Accountability is good but implementation matters more.
R
Ramesh W
Reducing counting centres to 77 is smart. Better to have fewer, secure locations than many vulnerable ones. Let's hope the CAPF deployment is adequate and the process remains peaceful. West Bengal deserves free and fair polls.
N
Naveen S
I appreciate the step about keeping CAPF in the state post-election. We don't want a repeat of 2021. But I hope the observers also report any minor irregularities immediately, not after the fact.
T
Tommy Z
As someone living abroad, I watch Indian elections closely. This level of security and observer accountability is world-class. Good to see ECI learning from past incidents.
P
Priyanka N
Three-stage verification is fine, but what about the common voter's safety on counting day? There should be clear protocols for movement around counting centres. Otherwise, even with CAPF, tensions could flare.

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

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