Kolkata, March 22 – The Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified its efforts to remove unauthorized political advertisements across West Bengal in the lead-up to the upcoming two-phase state assembly elections.
In a statement released on Sunday night, the ECI said that a total of 3,58,986 such advertisements had been removed across the state so far.
Of these, 3,11,829 cases involved the defacement of public property, while 19,901 involved the defacement of private property.
According to the ECI, the Cooch Behar district in northern Bengal recorded the highest number of removals at 33,491. Of these, 29,474 cases related to the defacement of public property, and 4,017 to private property.
The North 24 Parganas district reported the second-highest number of removals at 31,920, including 31,789 cases of defacement of public property and 105 involving private property.
The Kalimpong district recorded the lowest number of removals at 593, all of which related to the defacement of public property.
Meanwhile, the first supplementary list of cases referred for judicial adjudication under the “logical discrepancy” category is scheduled to be published on Monday. Officials said that necessary security arrangements are being put in place to prevent any law and order issues following its publication.
Polling for the West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Voting will take place in 152 constituencies in the first phase and in the remaining 142 constituencies in the second phase.
Earlier on Sunday, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand asserted that incidents of booth jamming, vote rigging, or booth capturing will not be tolerated under any circumstances during the city’s assembly elections.
The directive was issued after Nand paid an inspection visit to the Bhangar Police Station on the southern outskirts of Kolkata.
The Election Commission is maintaining strict vigilance over election preparations and security arrangements. In compliance with the Commission's directives, senior police officials visited police stations across the state on Sunday. Accordingly, the Kolkata Police Commissioner visited the Bhangar Police Station in the morning.
During a meeting with police personnel, he stressed that all officials must strictly adhere to the guidelines laid down by the Election Commission. Ajay Nand also reiterated that any complaints regarding booth jamming, vote rigging, or booth capturing would not be tolerated in any form.
Later, addressing a press conference, he said that the Kolkata Police is fully prepared to ensure a peaceful election. "Checkpoints and search operations are currently underway across various areas. Patrolling is also being conducted in coordination with Central forces," he said.