"100% webcasting, CAPF deployment": Hooghly DM, Chandannagar Police Commissioner detail security arrangements ahead of polling in West Bengal

Hooghly (West Bengal) [India], April 26 : The concerned authorities in Hooghly district and the Chandannagar Police Commissionerate have put in place extensive arrangements to ensure free, fair and violence-free polling for the second phase of Assembly elections in West Bengal, officials said on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference here, Hooghly District Magistrate (DM) and District Election Officer (DEO) Khurshid Ali Kaderi said that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS) have been promulgated. The silence period will come into force from 6:00 pm on April 27 and remain effective until the completion of polling.

He added that no outsiders who are not voters of the Hooghly district will be allowed to stay within the district during the restricted period. On the day of polling, a 100-metre radius around polling stations will be declared a "no man's land" and will be fully secured by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). Only voters will be allowed to queue within the 100-metre zone, while candidates will be permitted to set up small assistance booths beyond 200 metres from polling stations.

The DEO further informed that 100 per cent webcasting arrangements have been made both inside and outside polling booths to ensure transparency in the electoral process.

Meanwhile, Chandannagar Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Yadav said CAPF personnel, led by senior officers, have already begun area domination exercises, route marches and awareness campaigns using loudspeakers across sensitive locations.

He also stated that entry with mobile phones inside polling booths will not be permitted. Security forces have recovered firearms, cartridges, and a large quantity of ganja during pre-poll operations, and dozens of accused persons have been arrested. Identified troublemakers and history-sheeters have either been taken into custody or directed to mark regular attendance at local police stations, he added.

Polling for Phase I of the Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with West Bengal recording a significantly higher voter turnout of 91.78 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The high turnout figures underline an active electoral exercise as polling drew to a close amid tight security arrangements across constituencies.

The polling for the second phase for the remaining 142 Assembly seats in West Bengal is scheduled for April 29, with counting of votes to take place on May 4.

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