Bengal likely to get 14,000 extra polling booths; final decision after all-party meet next week

According to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI’s) draft list, West Bengal has 80,681 booths, which will now increase to 94,497. This marks an addition of 13,853 booths. While 1,253 booths will be reorganised, 703 will be shifted, and 37 will be abolished.

On August 29, the ECI will hear the opinions of all political parties and subsequently finalise booth arrangements. “It will be difficult for Opposition parties if the number of booths is increased because they will have to increase the number of polling agents also. After hearing all this, the ECI will finalise the total number of booths,” the senior official added.

“After getting all parties’ opinions, we will send the list to the ECI, and then it will be finalised. If the ECI has to start the SIR, the ECI will also have to appoint Booth Level Officers (BLO) in all new booths. Only after that can ECI start SIR in West Bengal,” the official said.

The Election Commission has also decided that no booth will have more than 1,200 voters, a senior official said. “Booths which have more than 1,200 voters will be changed into two booths,” the official added.

Accordingly, booth arrangements have been reorganised and rationalised. In some cases, booths have also been relocated, officials said.

According to the ECI, in three districts out of 23—South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Murshidabad—more than 1,000 booths will be increased. While 1,551 booths will be increased in the South 24 Parganas district, 1,396 booths will be increased in the North 24 Parganas district and 1,251 in Murshidabad. The least number of booths will be increased in Kalimpong, 16. In South and North Kolkata, a total of 26 booths will be increased, officials said.