The Election Commission of India has instructed general observers for all 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal to be present at the counting centers before the vote count begins at 8 a.m. on May 4. These observers must remain until the counting concludes and winning certificates are handed over. The Commission holds these observers responsible for any disruptions during the counting process.
To ensure transparency, the general observers are required to provide regular updates on the counting proceedings to the central control room at the CEO’s office in Kolkata and district-level control rooms. The Election Commission has also implemented measures to prevent violence and irregularities on and after the counting day. Security arrangements include deploying 200 companies of central armed police forces at the innermost circles of the counting stations.
In a bid to enhance security, the number of counting centers has been reduced to 77. Access to these centers will involve a stringent three-stage verification process for authorized electoral officers, staff, political party agents, and candidates. Identity card verification will occur in three stages, including manual checks in the first and second stages and QR code verification in the third stage.
Moreover, to forestall post-poll violence, the Election Commission has decided to retain 700 companies of CAPF in West Bengal until further notice, following incidents after the 2021 Assembly polls.
