Special Security and Home Voting Arrangements Made for West Medinipur Elections

West Medinipur : The district administration has said that all preparations have been made to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful election in West Medinipur. At a press conference, the District Magistrate and District Election Officer said the Election Commission is preparing for the polls on key points such as fear-free, violence-free, intimidation-free, inducement-free, fake-vote-free, booth-jamming-free, and resource-jamming-free elections. Officials also said that government employees, workers of public sector units, autonomous bodies, and local bodies are strictly banned from taking part in political activities.
They informed that 122 candidates from different political parties and independent groups have filed nomination papers in the district’s 15 Assembly constituencies.
The district has 408 women-managed polling booths. Among them, 92 booths are in Medinipur and 70 in Kharagpur, while the others are located in different parts of the district.
Officials also said that home voting will be held from the 14th to the 16th of the month. This facility will be available for people aged 85 years and above and for persons with disabilities, so that they can vote from their homes.
In a major decision, no contractual staff are being appointed for election duty this time. Instead, polling personnel are being brought from neighboring districts. The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have already reached the DC/RC centers, where they will be prepared for polling.
To strengthen security, the district has set up 48 naka checking points, all fitted with CCTV cameras. These are being monitored centrally from the District Control Room.
During the election period, the administration has already seized illegal cash worth ₹63.24 lakh. In addition, illegal liquor and narcotics worth ₹11.91 crore have also been recovered.
Officials further said that all 524 special booths in the district will have two CCTV cameras inside and one camera outside the booth premises. The District Superintendent of Police (SP) said that the administration is fully ready to conduct voting in a free and peaceful manner. She appealed to voters to cast their votes without fear. She also said that 94 companies of Central Forces have already been deployed across the district.
According to the Superintendent of Police, almost all licensed firearms have been deposited, and continuous action is being taken against criminals, illegal weapons, and narcotics.