Kolkata: Voting will be held for the sixth and final phase of Assembly elections tomorrow in West Bengal where 25 seats including 16 in Purba Medinipur and 9 in Coochbehar districts will go to polls.
In all, 67 candidates are in the fray for nine seats in Coochbehar, 12 of them independents. In Purba Medinipur, a total of 103 candidates are vying for 16 seats including 12 independents.
In tomorrow’s polling, over 58 lakh voters will decide the political future of 170 candidates who include 18 women. 6 Thousand 774 polling stations have been setup for the purpose.
The voters include over nine thousand five hundred new Indian citizens who have been enrolled in five constituencies in Coochbehar for the first time ever.
They are the residents of 51 former Indo-Bangladesh enclaves, locally known as Sabeki Chheetmahal.
Election Commission has arranged strict security measures for the final day of voting. In all, 361 companies of Central security forces have been deployed in both the districts.
In Purba Medinipur 7 thousand 500 State Police personnel and in Coochbehar 4 thousand 500 Policemen have been deployed to assist the Central forces.
Directed by the Commission, the Central forces last night launched search operations at all the vulnerable locations in both the districts.
At a primary school polling station at Shankarpur in Purba Medinipur, the search parties today recovered a bag full of country-made bombs causing tension in the area.
State Additional CEO, Dibyendu Sarkar said that 124 companies of the forces in Coochbehar and 59 in Purba Medinipur have been deployed to search and keep a tab on 714 vulnerable pockets.
The Commission has decided to deploy 76 flying squads, 93 RT mobile teams and 28 mobile camera vans to ensure free and fair polls in both the districts.
The Commission has taken special measures for differently-abled voters at all the 4298 polling stations in Purba Medinipur district.
State Additional CEO Dibendyu Sarkar informed that a booth-helper will be on duty at each booth to assist and escort special voters till they enter the booth.
With the help of NGOs arrangement of wheel chairs and ramps have been made at each booth.
The Commission has made the arrangements following its finding that the district has 15 thousand 500 differently-abled voters, the highest 1 thousand 612 in Panshkura Paschim constituency. (ANI)