Kolkata, April 7 – The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, will hold a virtual meeting with all Election Commission of India (ECI)-appointed poll observers for West Bengal on Wednesday to discuss the current polling booth infrastructure in the state for the upcoming two-phase assembly elections, scheduled later this month.
An insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that the Commission is not satisfied with the polling booth infrastructure, as per the initial reports received by the CEC's office.
The insider added that the CEC had decided to chair the virtual meeting with the poll observers and discuss how the polling booth infrastructure in the state can be improved to the maximum before the first phase of polling on April 23.
Already, the Commission has directed the state secretariat to appoint a secretary-level officer in each district to inspect booth infrastructure, identify areas for improvement, and suggest corrective measures.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the state secretariat issued a notification detailing the guidelines for "dry days" to be followed in the state for the two-phase polling and the counting.
The first phase of polling for 152 assembly constituencies will be on April 23. All liquor outlets, including off-shops, on-shops, and bars, will remain closed in areas under the jurisdiction of these constituencies from 6 p.m. on April 21 until the end of polling on April 23.
The second phase of polling for 142 assembly constituencies will be on April 29. All liquor outlets, including off-shops, on-shops, and bars, will remain closed in areas under the jurisdiction of these constituencies from 6 p.m. on April 27 until the end of polling on April 29.
The counting will be on May 4. On that day, all liquor outlets will remain closed throughout the state for the entire day. In case of any re-poll, the same "dry day" formula will be applicable for liquor outlets in the areas concerned.