In preparation for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has sanctioned the establishment of 4,660 auxiliary polling stations in areas with over 1200 voters. Additionally, 321 polling stations have been relocated to enhance voter convenience. The total number of polling stations, including auxiliary ones, will reach 85,379 for the two-phase Assembly polls in West Bengal later this month.
The ECI’s secretary, Sujeet Kumar Mishra, has communicated the approval for these auxiliary booths and polling station relocations to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal. It has been emphasized that in case of any polling station changes, all affected voters must be individually informed by the authorities without fail. Public awareness campaigns regarding the new polling stations and relocations are to be conducted in the respective areas, with political parties duly notified.
The West Bengal assembly elections are set to take place on April 23 and April 29, with 152 and 142 Assembly constituencies going to polls in the first and second phases, respectively. Vote counting is scheduled for May 4. To ensure fair and peaceful elections, the ECI plans to deploy a record number of 2,400 companies comprising personnel from various armed forces. Currently, 480 companies are already stationed in West Bengal as part of the pre-election deployment.
Following the second phase of polling on April 29, 200 CAPF companies will remain in West Bengal to secure EVMs, strong rooms, and counting centers until the completion of the counting process. An additional 500 CAPF companies will stay in the state for law and order duties and to prevent post-poll violence. The remaining 1,700 personnel from CAPF, IRB, and other state armed forces will be withdrawn after the April 29 polling and return to their respective bases.
