With the election season approaching, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has drawn up an extensive plan aimed at ensuring that the upcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly Election is conducted in a free, fair and intimidation-free manner.
The poll panel has decided to significantly scale up the deployment of observers, security personnel, and technological monitoring mechanisms across the state.
The office of the Chief Electoral Officer in West Bengal has proposed for a significant increase of observers ~ General, Police and Economic ~ in the state.
Sources in the CEO office said that when in 2021 the number of General Observers were 160 ~ it can increase manifold in this election.
“We have proposed for at least one General Observer per constituency and in for some constituency we have proposed for more than one General Observer. We hope commission will approve it,” a senior official at the CEO office said.
The number of police observers will also increase sharply.
In the previous election there were 37 police observers across the state, but the commission is planning a far larger deployment this time.
“In sensitive constituencies may have proposed for more than one police observer overseeing security arrangements,” the official said.
Similarly, the strength of expenditure or economic observers is expected to rise significantly.
In the last Assembly election, there were 84 such observers tasked with monitoring poll spending and financial irregularities.
While the Commission has not yet specified the exact number for the upcoming polls, officials indicated that the figure will increase substantially in line with the broader effort to strengthen oversight.
The proposal of the CEO office comes in line with the policy adopted by the Election Commission of India.
The Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during his press conference on Tuesday had clearly mentioned that the commission would adopt a strict approach to maintaining law and order during the polls.
“There will be zero tolerance against violence. The election should be threat-free and intimidation-free,” he had said, while stressing that all law-enforcing agencies have been directed to enforce the rule of law “strictly without any fear or favour.”
The commission has already started heavy deployment of central forces to ensure absolute control over law and order before the polls.
According to the security blueprint prepared by the ECI, around 480 companies of Central Armed Police Forces has been deployed across the state to maintain law and order and ensure peaceful polling.
A significant number of these forces have already been stationed in different districts, and more contingents are likely to arrive once the election schedule is formally announced.
The district-wise deployment plan shows a greater concentration of forces in areas considered sensitive due to population density, past electoral experience, proximity to international borders and political significance.
Technology will also play a major role in monitoring the polls.
The commission has decided to introduce 100 per cent webcasting in all polling stations across the state to ensure transparency and real-time surveillance.
West Bengal currently has 80,719 polling stations, and officials said around 500 additional auxiliary booths may be set up to ease congestion and improve voter access.
Emphasising the importance of voter participation, Kumar said the Commission is also focusing on ensuring that no eligible voter is left out of the electoral roll.
“No legitimate voter’s name would be left out,” he had said earlier.
Officials noted that the state currently has around 5.23 lakh voters in the 18-19 age group, many of whom will be participating in the Assembly election for the first time.
With an expanded observer network, heavy deployment of central forces, enhanced technological monitoring and strict enforcement of law and order, the Commission hopes to ensure that the upcoming Assembly election in West Bengal is conducted in a peaceful and impartial manner.