Polling booths in private building compromise neutrality, widen disparity: West Bengal CM writes to CEC
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday protesting the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwals proposal to set up polling booths inside private housing complexes. The CEO has sent proposals to the state government and directed all district magistrates, who are district electoral officers (DEOs) across the state on the matter. Agarwal has asked the DEOs not to engage the contractual Data Entry Operators and Bangla Sahayata Kendra staff for SIR-related or other election-related data work. When district offices already have a substantial number of competent professionals performing such functions, what necessities the CEOs office initiative to outsource the same work through an external agency for full year? Traditionally, field offices have always hired their own contractual data entry personnel as per requirement. If there is an urgent need, DEOs are fully empowered to undertake such hiring themselves, Mamata raised questions through the letter. Is this the exercise being undertaken at the behest of a political party to serve vested interests? she questioned indicating the CEO and opposition BJP. The Chief Minister, protesting the CEOs move to set up polling booths inside private housing complexes stated, The proposal is deeply problematic. Polling stations have always been-and must remain-located in government or semi-government institutions, preferably within a 2 km radius, to ensure accessibility and neutrality. Private buildings are typically avoided for clear reasons: They compromise fairness, violate established rooms and create discriminatory distinctions between privileged residents and the general public-the haves and have-nots. Why is such a move being contemplated at all? Again, is this being done under pressure from a political party to advance their partisan interests? she wrote in the letter. Why? Why? Why? she questioned the CEC. Its learnt that the ECI has already written to several housing societies in north Kolkata to set up booths on their premises. These booths will be exclusively for residents of societies with over 300 voters. After the incident of the BLOs deaths by suicide in Bardhaman and Jalpaiguri districts last week, Mamata came down heavily on the ECI alleging that precious lives are lost due work pressure and stress generated by the SIR process in the state. She urged the commission to immediately halt this unplanned drive before more lives are lost. BJP leaders alleged that the Chief Minister is fearing her partys fate in the coming assembly polls next year in the state and thats why she is involving saffron camp in connection with CEOs proposals.
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