The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued new post-poll guidelines after phase 1 voting concluded in West Bengal on Thursday. In its fresh advisory,
the poll body has instructed officials to follow strict protocols with regard to handling surveillance cameras and video data after voting concludes. West Bengal saw its highest ever voter turnout since independence on April 23 as the state recorded 92.72 per cent polling. Voting in the second phase is scheduled for April 29, and the results will be declared on May 4. As per the new instructions from the election commission, the SD cards used in polling booth cameras cannot be removed immediately after voting ends, and officials concerned will only be permitted to dismount the cameras, which must then remain under the supervision of the sector officer, he said. “The SD cards can be removed only at the designated Data Collection and Receiving Centre in the presence of the Assistant Returning Officer,” he said. All video footage captured during polling must be preserved securely and systematically, the election official said. “No member of the polling party or Booth Level Officer (BLO) can leave the polling station until the camera equipment has been fully dismounted,” he said. Meanwhile, a trial run of webcasting for the second phase of polling will begin at 10 am on Friday, the official said. "The exercise will be conducted in three shifts," he said.
Key Highlights From First Phase Polling in West Bengal
Polling in 16 districts of West Bengal began at 7 am on Thursday amid tight security to decide the electoral fate of 1,478 candidates, including 167 women, in 152 of the 294 assembly seats.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said that voter turnout of 91.78 per cent is the "highest-ever percentage in West Bengal since Independence."
Data shared by the Commission showed that the previous highest turnout in the state was 84.72 per cent during the 2011 assembly elections.
Women Voters Outnumber Men in First Phase
In Thursday’s polling, women voters outnumbered men in participation, with the female turnout touching 92.69 per cent against 90.92 per cent by male electors. The turnout of third-gender voters stood at 56.79 per cent.
Kumar and Election Commissioners S S Sandhu and Vivek Joshi monitored the voting through live webcasting from all polling stations, officials said.
Voter Friendly Measures Boost Turnout
People attributed the sharp rise in turnout to a series of voter-friendly measures, including improved voter information slips, reduced number of electors per booth and enhanced assistance for persons with disabilities.
The figures remain provisional as data from some polling stations is still being updated, and postal ballots are yet to be included in the final count, the election officials said.
Later in Kolkata, West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal told reporters, "We are satisfied with the efforts that we put in which was reflected in the high voter turnout. There is always scope for improvement. The CEC said he was also satisfied with the reports of electors voting without fear and favour."
Talking about the sporadic incidents of violence, Agarwal said, “none of those were major in nature in terms of law and order”.
“These were unfortunate incidents," he said.
On the incident of BJP candidate from Asansol Dakshin Agnimitra Paul's vehicle being reportedly damaged, Agarwal said an unknown miscreant hurled a stone at the rear portion of her car and a “case has been started”.
Agarwal said that during the next phase of polls, “especially in Kolkata, we are expecting a similar high turnout of voters”.
"We have plans to undertake additional measures to increase voters' confidence in the second phase," he said.
With inputs from PTI
