SIR in Bengal: ECI irked over no proposals on housing complexes for polling booths

Kolkata, Dec 10 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) had taken strong exception to not receiving any single proposal from the district magistrates, as well as the district electoral officers (DEOs), identifying private housing complexes with multiple high-rise towers which are suitable for setting up polling booths for the crucial Assembly elections in the state scheduled next year.

In a strongly worded communication to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, the Commission had pointed out that since no proposal of polling stations has been received in the Commission from West Bengal, the ECI had taken a very serious view of the failure on the part of DEOs in performance of their statutory duty as given under Section 25 and Section 160 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

"The DEOs are also liable under the said provisions for any lack of sufficiency of polling stations for electors in the above-specified residential colonies," said the ECI communication, a copy of which is available with IANS.

In the same communication, the Commission had directed that during the period after draft publication of the Electoral Roll on December 16, all DEOs should immediately conduct survey of high-rise buildings, group housing societies, resident welfare association (RWA) colonies, slums and gated societies having at least 250 houses or 500 voters, with details of available rooms at ground floor level and identify suitable accommodation for polling stations within their premises.

"Additional polling stations in slum-dwelling clusters shall also be assessed. Thereafter, the proposals for rationalization/rearrangement of polling stations, including proposals for polling stations in the high rises, group housing societies, slums, etc., based on such assessment, shall be sent for the Commission's approval through your office, latest by 31.12.2025," the ECI communication read.

To recall, Trinamool Congress and the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, had been opposing the ECI's idea of setting up new polling booths within private housing complexes.

The Chief Minister, last month, wrote a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, objecting to the ECI’s proposal for setting up polling stations inside private housing complexes for the Assembly polls scheduled next year.

"This proposal is deeply problematic. Polling stations have always been, and must remain, located in government or semi-government institutions, preferably within a 2 km radius, to ensure accessibility and neutrality. Private buildings are typically avoided for clear reasons: they compromise fairness, violate established norms, and create discriminatory distinctions between privileged residents and the general public -- the haves and have-nots," the Chief Minister's letter read.

BJP's Information Technology Cell Chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, refuted the Chief Minister’s objections on this count and pointed out that any premises can be designated a polling station as long as they ensure ease of voting for all voters.

"Similar booths have been set up in high-rise buildings in Delhi and elsewhere. So why is it suddenly troubling you that the ECI is creating additional booths to make voting more convenient? No booths are being taken away from existing voters. So do explain: What exactly is upsetting you -- the increase in voting access, or the collapse of the narrative you’re trying to build?" Malviya questioned.

--IANS

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