Jalpaiguri dist: About 132 booths declared ‘sensitive’

Dibyendu Sinha, MP, 3 July 2023, Jalpaiguri: As many as 132 booths have been earmarked as sensitive in the Jalpaiguri district. Out of the 132 booths, 76 are categorised as critical and 56 have been categorised as vulnerable. Extra security measures will be adopted in the 132 sensitive booths in the upcoming Panchayat elections. 

The State Election Commission (SEC) has been instructed to provide security at all the identified critical or sensitive booths. District Superintendent of Police Khandbahale Umesh Ganpat confirmed that 10 companies of Central forces have already arrived in the district. Meanwhile, the training of over 10,000 polling personnel has been completed to man the 1,660 booths in the district, as reported by the district election office sources. 

Although the District Election Office did not directly mention sensitive or tension-prone booths, out of the 1,660 booths, 132 are considered sensitive. These sensitive booths are categorised as critical or vulnerable based on specific criteria. 

For instance, booths with over 90 per cent of votes in the previous Assembly elections or where a candidate received over 75 per cent of votes are considered critical. Booth located in remote and isolated areas are also considered critical. 

Furthermore, booths that experienced disruptions in the poll process in the past elections based on reports from Block Development Officers (BDOs) and the Inspector In Charge of a Police station (IC), as well as booths identified as vulnerable through news publications, are categorised as vulnerable. 

Consequently, 76 booths are considered critical and 56 booths are categorised as vulnerable in the district. In the Panchayat elections in the Jalpaiguri district, 123 contestants are vying for the 24 seats in the Zilla Parishad. 

Additionally, 860 individuals are competing for 238 seats across 9 Panchayat Samitis, while 5,098 candidates are contesting for 1,701 seats in 80 Gram Panchayats. 

A total of 1,660 booths will be set up for voting, with 92 of them designated as auxiliary or additional booths. District Magistrate Moumita Godara stated that nine schools and colleges in the district will serve as designated Counting and Result Centers (DCRCs) for the panchayat elections. 

Among them are the Polytechnic College in Jalpaiguri, ML High School in Rajganj, and Parimal Mitra Smriti Mahavidyalaya and Mal Adarsh School in Malbazar. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/jalpaiguri-dist-about-132-booths-declared-sensitive-524309