Bengal polls limited to two phases to stop intimidation: official

NEW DELHI: West Bengal’s two-phase polling, which took just a week to take, making it the state’s most compact in recent years, is aimed at curbing intimidation of voters and polling personnel by unruly elements, allegedly hired and groomed by parties to influence the outcome in their favour, TOI has learnt. Election Commission sources explained that unruly elements, sheltered by the ruling party, usually move from one polling area to another between phases and engage in inappropriate behavior popularly known locally as “chhapa”, in which the voting parties inside the polling station are threatened and passed Pretending to cast a vote; polling station blocking – a practice in rural areas where voters are asked not to go to the polling station, citing violence, riots or blockages along passageways; source/gate interference – voters in urban areas are afraid to venture out to vote on the pretext that others have already voted. In the latter two cases, most people preferred to stay, oddly enough, to avoid having to explain to poll officials why they weren’t the imposter. As in the past, the higher the number of stages, the easier it will be for criminals to move their limited force from one area to another to maximize coverage to “intimidate voters and polling personnel,” sources said. Two polling days – April 23, covering 152 Assembly Constituencies (ACs); and April 29, covering the remaining 142 ACs – will spread out “unruly forces”, limiting their potential to disrupt elections and influence voting patterns in favor of specific parties outside their “local areas”. They said there will be 100% webcasting inside polling stations. A key driver behind the EC restricting Bengal polls to two phases was the good availability of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). Sources said nearly 1,600-2,000 CAPF companies, including around 150,000-180,000 personnel, may be deployed in the state. Nearly 500 companies are currently deployed in Bangladesh, and another 1,000-1,500 companies will be stationed there before April 23. In fact, the troops deployed in Assam will be shifted to Bengal soon after Assam completes its polls on April 9.