“We expect the supplementary list to be published after 9 pm. It will be released once we receive it from the Calcutta High Court. Judicial officers will e-sign it, after which it will be processed at the ECI headquarters,” West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said.
The list will be uploaded centrally by the ECI, with processing done booth-wise on servers in Delhi, a process that may take 4-5 hours, he added.
Till 4 pm, around 29 lakh cases had been disposed of, though the exact number to feature in the first supplementary list will be known only after e-signing.
Adjudication has been completed in Kalimpong, Jhargram and Purulia, while it is in the final stages in Bankura. The High Court has redeployed judicial officers from districts where the process is complete to others, Agarwal said.
Those whose names are deleted will have to approach an appellate tribunal. The formation of tribunals and creation of infrastructure is underway, with space sought from the state government. While notification for the tribunals has been issued, they are not yet operational, delaying immediate appeals. The EC said it is expediting the process of setting up tribunal offices.
Cash, liquor, and drugs worth ₹181 cr seizedThe model code of conduct (MCC) is being strictly enforced across all 294 assembly constituencies in West Bengal, with authorities seizing cash, liquor, drugs and freebies worth over Rs 181 crore, officials said.
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases – on April 23 and April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
Extensive drives have also been carried out to remove unauthorised political advertisements, they said.
Widespread public and private property defacements have been cleared across all districts, a statement issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said.
A total of 3,11,829 defacements of public property and 19,901 of private property have been removed, with 3,58,986 cases registered across districts, it said.
“Strict vigil is being maintained throughout the state to ensure that the model code of conduct is implemented in letter and spirit,” a senior poll panel official said.
More than 1,800 Flying Squad Teams (FSTs) and over 2,200 Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) have been deployed to respond to complaints, and check illegal transportation of cash and other materials, the officials said.
On the law and order front, Kolkata Police, along with central forces, intervened in incidents in Baranagar and Kalighat to prevent escalation of tensions and ensure public peace, they said.
