ECI directs Bengal DEOs to map housing societies to set up polling stations

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed the district magistrates in every district across West Bengal, who double up as district election officers (DEOs) to map housing societies where polling stations may be set up during the state assembly polls scheduled in 2026.

The DEOs have been directed to complete rationalisation of polling stations by December 4.

“The ECI has sent a letter to the West Bengal chief electoral officer (WBCEO) and all DEOs to identify urban areas where group housing societies and high-rise residential buildings are located so as to find out where adequate rooms such as common facilitation area, community halls, schools are available within the premises of such societies for the purpose of setting up polling stations to cater to the resident electors,” said the ECI letter sent to the WBCEO on Friday.

This comes days after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee opposed the proposal and wrote a letter to chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, flagging concerns over the poll panel’s decision to set up polling stations in private housing complexes.

“Why is such a move being contemplated at all? Again, is this being done under the pressure from a political party to advance their partisan interests? Why? Why? Why?” she wrote.

The BJP, however, has welcomed the move saying that THE TMC would obviously oppose it as people living in housing societies in urban areas don’t support the TMC.

“The TMC would obviously oppose such a proposal because they know very well that people living in these housing societies don’t support them. The TMC always tried to keep these people away from voting and stopped them from reaching polling stations. If polling stations are set up within housing societies, which are covered by CCTV cameras and have security guards, these people would come out and vote against the TMC,” Rahul Sinha, BJP leader, told the media.