Kolkata, April 4: In a significant move aimed at facilitating voters ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, the Election Commission has approved the establishment of 4,660 new auxiliary polling stations in West Bengal. These new stations will be set up in areas where the number of voters at a single polling station exceeds 1,200.
Additionally, the Commission has permitted the relocation of 321 existing polling stations to enhance voter convenience. With these decisions, the total number of polling stations in West Bengal, including auxiliary ones, has now risen to 85,379.
While approving this proposal, the Election Commission has laid down important conditions. It has directed that all guidelines specified in paragraph 4.2.2 of the ‘Polling Stations Rules, 2020’ must be strictly followed during the establishment of the auxiliary polling stations. Furthermore, it is mandatory to inform every voter personally about the changes in the locations of the relocated polling stations.
The Commission also emphasized the need for widespread dissemination of information regarding the construction of new auxiliary polling stations and the transfer of polling stations in the respective areas. All recognized political parties must be notified in writing about these developments.
Moreover, the Commission has instructed that all officials involved in this process should be provided with timely and complete information to ensure that the election process is conducted smoothly and transparently.
This initiative has been taken with the aim of enhancing voter convenience, thereby reducing long queues and enabling more people to exercise their voting rights easily.
The West Bengal assembly elections will be conducted in two phases, with voting for 152 seats taking place on April 23 and for 142 seats on April 29. The election results will be announced on May 4.