The Election Commission has approved 4,660 auxiliary polling stations in West Bengal ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, aiming to ease voter turnout and reduce overcrowding at booths, a senior official said on Saturday.

The additional stations will be set up alongside polling booths with more than 1,200 voters, taking the total number of polling stations in the state to 85,379, the official said. The EC has also cleared the relocation of 321 polling stations.

"The decisions were taken to further facilitate voter convenience in the forthcoming assembly elections in West Bengal," an EC official said.

In a letter dated April 3, the EC informed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of its approval of the proposal submitted on March 28. It also underlined that the establishment of auxiliary polling stations must strictly follow existing guidelines.

The Commission further stressed the importance of informing voters about relocated polling stations. "It must be ensured without fail that all the voters of that polling station housed in that location are informed individually by the authorities concerned," the letter stated.

West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.