The Election Commission of India will be announcing the schedule for Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry.
In a press conference which will be held at 04:30 PM (IST) today, the poll panel of the Election Commission will release the long-awaited dates for State and Union Territory Assembly elections.
In West Bengal, the number of polling booths has considerably increased from the 2016 State Assembly Elections from 78,903 to 1,01,790. West Bengal is likely to undergo elections during March-April period where it is being heavily speculated whether the elections will be held in seven to eight phases or just five phases compared to the 6-phase elections that had happened in 2016. This has been done in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amidst the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these elections will all be held in respect of the maintenance of the respective health and safety protocols. The election officials will all be required to wear masks, face shields, and gloves and use sanitizers. Voters too will be screened and follow similar hygiene.
The EC has said that 6400 of these polling booths are sensitive and will require extra security measures taken into place.
Earlier today, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Smiriti Irani held a roadshow in West Bengal’s Panchpota area of the South 24 Parganas district ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
