Calcutta High Court Seeks Election Commission’s Stand on Poll Booth Infrastructure in Bengal

The Calcutta High Court sought a written response from the Election Commission on the condition of infrastructure at polling stations across West Bengal on Friday, amid allegations that many booths lack basic facilities.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen was hearing a public interest litigation filed by BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, who drew the court’s attention to what he described as the poor state of amenities at several polling booths in the state.

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The court observed that assessing the status of polling booth infrastructure falls within the Election Commission of India’s domain.

Based on its assessment, the commission can issue necessary directions to the state government.

The Bench directed the commission to submit a written report detailing the steps it has taken to improve polling booth infrastructure in West Bengal.

No interim directions will be passed until the commission’s response is placed before the court.

The matter will be taken up again after a week, once the commission’s report is submitted.

As per the Election Commission of India’s guidelines, every polling station is required to have minimum facilities such as electricity, drinking water, ramps and toilets for the convenience of voters.

However, it has been alleged that many booths in West Bengal do not meet these standards, causing hardship to voters who often have to stand in queues for long hours on polling day.

Earlier, the commission had entrusted state government agency Mackintosh Burn with the task of upgrading polling booth infrastructure.

However, the agency reportedly withdrew from the project midway.

The petitioner claimed that only around 40 per cent of the work was completed, leaving several booths in a dilapidated condition.

With the Assembly elections approaching, the petitioner has sought the court’s intervention to ensure urgent improvement of polling booth facilities.

The court noted that while the ECI does not execute infrastructure work directly, it identifies deficiencies and gets the work done through state agencies, with the responsibility ultimately resting with the state government.

For now, the Bench clarified that it would not comment against any party and would consider the issue after hearing all sides, starting with the commission’s written submission.