30% rise in Bengal poll booths due to Covid

Kolkata: West

Bengal

is set to get around 1 lakh central forces, its highest in any election so far, but the addition of 22,887 polling booths in the upcoming assembly election indicates no major change in the deployment pattern of central forces from previous instances.

Around 750 companies of central forces were deployed in the Lok Sabha

polls

of 2019. In the second phase of assembly polls in 2016, when polling was held to 56 constituencies, 828 companies of forces were deployed. In both 2016 and 2019, Bengal had a total 78,903 polling booths.

Due to Covid pandemic, polling booths have been increased by 30% to 1,01,790 in 2021. “Previously, the (Election) Commission had directed that there will be 1,200 voters per booth and if it was more than 1,200, then there would be an auxiliary booth. But now because of Covid, the number of electors has been reduced to 1,000. Hence, there are an additional 22,887 poll booths in the state. To manage these additional booths, there is a requirement of additional forces,” an official said. “Deployment of 1,000 companies or more will break all previous records,” he added.

According to sources, the poll panel has recommended an increase of nearly 25% forces this time compared to the Lok Sabha polls.