ECI Approves 4,660 Auxiliary Booths for Bengal Polls to Ease Voter Congestion

ECI has also approved the shifting of 321 polling stations for the convenience of the voters. Including auxiliary polling stations, there are now a total of 85,379 polling stations in West Bengal.

Secretary of the ECI, Sujeet Kumar Mishra, in a letter to the CEO of West Bengal, stated, "In case of a change in Polling Station location, it must be ensured without fail that all the voters of that Polling Station housed in that location are informed individually by the concerned authorities."

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, has directed the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Kolkata Police Commissioner, and other senior officials to ensure that elections in West Bengal are conducted in a free, fair, transparent, and impartial manner.

The instructions also apply to Divisional Commissioners, ADGPs, IGs, District Magistrates, Commissioners of Police, SSPs, and SPs.

The Election Commission of India has emphasised that the electoral process must be completely free from fear, violence, intimidation, inducements, booth capturing, booth jamming, and any disruption of voting.

Ahead of elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and bye-elections in six states, the Election Commission of India issued directions to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the States/UTs.

They have been directed to ensure that each of the 2,18,807 Polling Stations is equipped with Assured Minimum Facilities (AMFs) and voter assistance on poll day.

AMF include drinking water, a waiting area with shade, a toilet with a water facility, adequate lighting, a ramp of proper gradient for PwD electors, a standard voting compartment, and proper signage. CEOs have also been asked to provide benches placed at regular intervals in the queue so that electors can sit while awaiting their turn to vote.

Strengthen voter awareness, four uniform and standardised Voter Facilitation Posters (VFP) shall be prominently displayed at all polling stations containing the Polling Station Details, List of Candidates, Do's and Don'ts, list of Approved Identification Documents and the voting process.

Voter Assistance Booths (VABs) shall be set up for every polling station location with a team of Booth Level Officers (BLOs)/officials to assist electors in locating their polling booth number and serial number in the electoral roll of the concerned booth. VABs will have prominent signage and will be easily visible as the voters approach the polling premises.

In one of the many initiatives taken by ECI for the convenience of voters, a mobile phone deposit facility for voters will be provided outside the entrance of the polling station. Voters can hand over their phone (switched off) before entering the station to a designated volunteer and collect it after casting the vote.

The Commission reiterates that provisioning of AMF and related accessibility measures is mandatory and shall be monitored for strict compliance across all polling stations. All field functionaries have been directed to complete necessary works well before the poll dates to ensure a seamless and pleasant voting experience for all electors.

The state will go to the polls in two phases, with voting scheduled on April 23 and April 29, while counting will take place on May 4.

In the 2021 Assembly elections in the state held in eight phases, the Trinamool Congress recorded a landslide victory with 213 seats amid an intense contest with the BJP, which jumped to 77 seats. Congress and Left Front drew a blank in the last state polls.

- ANI