The Election Commission is planning to issue a directive on makeshift polling stations outside high-rises if the district election officers fail, by Wednesday night, to submit lists of eligible housing complexes inside which such voting facilities should come up.
“If the DEOs don’t come up with a proper list of high-rises where polling stations could be set up by Wednesday midnight, the EC may issue an order to set up polling stations just outside the housing complexes to ensure that residents of buildings can cast their votes easily,” a poll panel official told The Telegraph.
The EC earlier asked the DEOs of Calcutta North, Calcutta South, South 24-Parganas and North 24-Parganas, along with the DEOs of Howrah, East and West Burdwan to submit a list of high-rises where polling stations could be set up by the first week of December. But the DEOs failed to submit a detailed list of such housing complexes prompting the poll panel to set a fresh deadline asking the officials to submit the list by December 31.
The EC has stated that housing complexes with a minimum of 300 voters and an available room on the ground floor to set would be eligible for having polling stations inside their complexes.
However, Bengal’s ruling party, the Trinamool Congress, has already opposed the move to set up polling stations inside high-rises, sources said.
Deputy election commissioner Gyanesh Bharti held a meeting with the DEOs on Tuesday in the Bengal CEO’s office in Calcutta where the DEOs were again reminded that they would have to submit the list of eligible complexes by Wednesday night.
“Since the body language of the DEOs was not encouraging, the EC has decided that if required, it would issue a directive to set up makeshift booths just outside the high-rises where residents would show interest in having booths in their complexes,” said an official.
The official explained that the EC would require a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the secretary and president of the housing complexes to set up polling stations inside the premises of the high-rises.
“But it is assumed that the secretary and the president would be put under pressure by the ruling party leaders so that they don’t give their consent. It also appears that the DEOs would not give a full-fledged list, as the ruling party has opposed the move. In this backdrop, the best possible solution is to set up booths just outside the complexes to allow the residents of the buildings to cast their votes freely,” said a source.
According to sources, setting up makeshift booths is not a new concept. The EC sets up more than 1,000 makeshift booths during Assembly and Lok Sabha polls across the state due to the unavailability of permanent government or semi-government structures.
“These makeshift structures are built with wood, plywood and other materials that give a sense of privacy to the voters. Strong security arrangements are made around such booths to protect them. If the EC is forced to set up makeshift booths outside the high-rises, strong security arrangements would be made to ensure that the residents don’t feel insecure about coming out and casting their votes,” a source said.
The source said that the EC was determined to set up polling stations inside high-rises as it believed that it would increase voter turnout in the cities where polling percentage is usually much lower compared to rural areas.
During the February 2025 Assembly polls in Delhi, voter turnout rose by at least 8 per cent after polling booths were set up inside high-rises, officials claimed.
“In Calcutta and its suburbs, voter turnout will go up significantly if polling booths could be set up in the high-rises. The step is required as Calcutta and its outskirts record about 65 per cent voter turnout compared to about 80 per cent in the rest of the state,” said an official.