The counting for the recently concluded two-phase Assembly polls in West Bengal will commence at 8 a.m. on Monday at 77 counting centers across the state. However, the counting will only cover 293 of the 294 Assembly constituencies in the state, as the Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled re-polling for the entire Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district on May 21, with results expected on May 24.
To ensure security during the counting process, the ECI has reduced the number of counting centers to 77 from 108 in 2021 and 90 in 2016. The counting will be conducted under tight security measures, including a three-layered security coverage at and around the counting centers.
The security arrangements involve central force personnel in the innermost layer within the counting room, a combination of state and central forces in the second layer within the counting center premises but outside the counting rooms, and personnel from Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police in the outermost layer outside the counting center. The entry to counting centers will require a three-stage verification process for authorized personnel, political party agents, and candidates.
Identity cards will undergo manual checks in the first and second stages, followed by QR code verification in the third stage. Only counting observers and returning officers will be permitted to enter the counting rooms without mobile phones. The ECI has deployed 165 additional counting observers and appointed 77 police observers to enhance security and oversee law and order during the counting on May 4.
Additionally, 700 companies of CAPF will remain stationed in West Bengal to prevent post-poll violence, as seen after the 2021 Assembly polls, until further orders to maintain a secure and peaceful environment.
