Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address at least 10 public meetings across West Bengal campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly elections, the party’s state unit chief Dilip Ghosh said here yesterday.
“We have sent a proposal to the central leadership urging the prime minister to campaign in the state. He is likely to address at least 10 public meetings across various constituencies,” Ghosh said.
Among the constituencies where Modi is expected to campaign are Siliguri in North Bengal, Kharagpur in West Midnapore district, Asansol in Burdwan district and Malda.
The BJP is targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government over violence in Kaliachak in Malda where a large mob set on fire several vehicles and attacked a police station in January.
Ghosh said Modi was likely to address a public rally later in the month with at least two-three visits in April.
Besides Modi, a host of high profile BJP leaders including party chief Amit Shah are also expected to campaign during the mega poll battle in the state.
“At least 30-40 BJP leaders including Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will campaign for the party,” added Ghosh.
In New Delhi the Election Commission directed the authorities in five election-bound states to identify localities predominantly inhabited by the “weaker sections” to help ensure their participation in the polling process.
In an order, the commission said polling stations in these localities “irrespective of the number of electors” need to be identified “so that the weaker section electors would not have to go to an area where they might be prevented from voting”.
Elections to assemblies in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are to be held in April and May.
The order is part of the initiatives taken by the commission “to enhance the quality of voting experience for the esteemed electors, more particularly the special categories of voters in terms of ease, comfort and facilitation”.
As part of this move, the commission said if there is a leprosy sanatorium being located within a constituency, a separate polling station will have to be set up “exclusively for the inmates”.
“In certain areas where women folk feel inhibited in mingling with male members due to social practice or custom, in those areas separate polling station for men and women with separate queues for either gender would be provided,” the commission said.
“In areas where there are large numbers of ‘parda-nashin’ (veiled) women electors are assigned to a polling station, a lady officer would be appointed as polling officer for identification and application of indelible ink,” it said.
Special arrangements, facilities and facilitation for old and infirm persons and pregnant women would also be made in the polling stations.
Nearly 170mn people will be eligible to vote in the staggered elections that will see two-phase polling in Assam and six-phase polling in West Bengal.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will have single day polling.
Assam (126 seats) will vote on April 4 and 11 and West Bengal (294 seats) on April 4, 11, 17, 21, 25, 30 and May 5.
Kerala (140 seats), Tamil Nadu (234 seats) and Puducherry (30 seats) will go to the polls on May 16.
l Around 600 troopers of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) would be deployed in West Bengal and Assam to facilitate peaceful elections, an official said.
“The TSR troopers would provide security cover first during the assembly polls in Assam. From Assam, they would move to West Bengal,” Inspector General of Police Anurag said.
“Around 600 (six companies) TSR jawans, led by senior officials, would be posted in Assam by March 28. After the completion of two-phase elections in Assam, they would be deployed in West Bengal,” he said.
He said the federal home ministry has asked the Tripura government to send the TSR troopers to Assam and West Bengal as part of the central forces.