Gyanesh Bharti, the deputy election commissioner, is scheduled to hold a meeting with the district election commissioners (DEOs) of North Calcutta, South Calcutta, North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas here on Tuesday over setting up voting booths in high-rises.

The poll panel had received a lukewarm response from the officials to the early directive to the effect.

The meeting assumed significance in the backdrop of the fact that the DEOs were given a fresh deadline of December 31 to submit lists of the housing complexes where polling booths could be set up.

“The decision to convene the meeting hints that the Election Commission (EC) would not tolerate any lackadaisical approach from the DEOs in setting up polling booths in high-rises and housing complexes. The officials might be strictly asked to be more active in this regard and submit a list of all eligible housing complexes by December 31,” said a senior official.

The EC had earlier asked the DEOs to conduct a survey and submit a list of housing complexes with 250 dwelling units or 500 voters by the first week of December. But the DEOs across the state had submitted a list of only two such housing complexes.

A dissatisfied EC had then asked the DEOs to conduct a fresh survey after the enumeration phase was over and submit a fresh list of eligible housing complexes where booths could be set up by December 31.

“Now, the EC wanted to ensure that the DEOs come up with a proper list of housing complexes by the deadline. This is why the EC will hold the meeting with four DEOs as the maximum number of eligible housing complexes is expected to be situated in their jurisdictions,” said a source.

A senior official in the chief electoral officer (CEO)'s office in Bengal said the EC was not satisfied with the earlier reports of the DEOs, as representatives of some of the housing complexes had directly contacted the EC expressing interest in setting up polling booths on the premises.

“But it was not reflected in the reports of the DEOs. The EC feels that the lackadaisical approach of the DEOs was causing a roadblock in setting up the booths in high rises,” said an official.

Sources said that the EC felt that the resistance of the ruling party in Bengal to set up booths in high-rises could be a major reason behind the lack of activity of the DEOs in identifying eligible complexes.