"Wherever violence has been reported, action has been taken": West Bengal Special Electoral Roll Officer on phase 1

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 24 : West Bengal Special Electoral Roll Officer, Subrata Gupta on Thursday stated that action has been taken against those involved in violence during the phase 1 of West Bengal assembly polls.

Speaking with ANI, Gupta said that nearly 1500 complaints were received at the integrated control room during the polling and that adequate action has been taken on them

"I won't be able to say the exact number of complaints because there are several points on which complaints have been received and actions have been taken. In our integrated control room, I think we have received nearly 1500 complaints. All of these complaints have been acted up on. All of these have resulted in action on the part of ROs, the observer, the Central forces or others who were associated with it some way in the process," he said.

Regarding the attack on BJP candidate from Kumarganj, Subhendu Sarkar, who claimed that he was injured and his car was vandalised by TMC workers who attacked him in his Assembly constituency, Gupta said that the CRPF, in assistance with police, are conducting raids and have arrested 5 so far.

"The police assisted CRPF. They are conducting raids, they have arrested people. I believe they have arrested people in Kumarbhanj, in South Dinajpur where the candidate was manhandled by a mob. 5 arrests have taken place. Raids are continuing, so wherever violence has been reported, action has been taken," he added.

Gupta further encouraged voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers in the forthcoming second phase 2 of the West Bengal assembly polls, scheduled on April 29.

"The message to voters for the second phase is to come out and vote without fear, inspired by the high turnout and peaceful environment of the first phase, with hopes of achieving close to 100% voter turnout in the second phase," he said.

Additionally, West Bengal Special Poll Observer, NK Mishra affirmed "strictest possible action" against those who disrupt peace in the polling process, and urged voters to fearlessly participate in the second phase of polls.

He emphasised that a system called CBM: Confidence Building Measures, has been implemented for the second phase of polling.

"For those who might attempt to disrupt the peace during voting, we have made arrangements for the strictest possible action. We will ensure that the peaceful voting process remains undisturbed. As for the voters, I urge them to step out of their homes fearlessly and cast their votes. We are committed to ensuring a peaceful and positive voting experience. This isn't just about the upcoming phase on the 29th; since we implemented this system, we have placed a strong emphasis on what we call CBMConfidence Building Measures," he told ANI.

He further said that one of the key aspects of the election planning, was to coordination and deployment of state police and central forces for the safety and security during the polling.

"Regarding the planning, the Election Commission of India's principle has been clear from the start: the West Bengal polls, which are often associated with electoral violence, should be conducted in a peaceful, free, fair, intimidation-free, proxy-free, booth-jamming-free, and violence-free manner. To ensure a peaceful poll, we needed a comprehensive plan. A key aspect of our planning was the coordination, synergy, and strategic deployment of both the state police and the central paramilitary forces, he said.

"We had a set scale for the deployment of CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) at the booths, and we deployed forces according to that scale. Outside the booths, we also had various arrangements in place, such as QRT (Quick Response Teams), FST (Flying Squad Teams), Radio Mobile units, and HRF (High-Frequency) teams. Working together, we intensified our efforts in areas with higher sensitivity," he added.

Mishra further said that a larger number of sensitive booths were made in certain districts including Cooch Behar and Murshidabad, as compared to others.

"While every constituency may have some sensitive booths, the numbers vary. Broadly speaking, districts like Cooch Behar, Malda, Murshidabad, and Birbhum had a higher concentration of sensitive booths, and we gave them extra attention," he stated.

Meanwhile, the polling for Phase I of the Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with West Bengal recording a significantly higher voter turnout of 91.83 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India.

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 will be held on April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

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