West Bengal

IIE DIGITAL DESK : Malda, April 22: The first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for April 23, intense preparation activity was witnessed across Malda district on Wednesday as election officials and staff engaged in the large-scale distribution of polling materials from designated DC-ROC centres under tight security arrangements.

The main distribution hubs have been set up at Malda College and Malda Polytechnic College, while Siddheswari Institute has also been used as an additional centre for election logistics. From early morning, a large number of polling personnel gathered at these facilities to collect Electronic Voting Machines and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail systems along with other essential election materials required for the smooth conduct of voting.

Officials confirmed that different assembly constituencies are being serviced from specific centres. Malda College is responsible for distributing materials to English Bazar, Malda and Mothabari constituencies, while Malda Polytechnic College is handling supplies for Habibpur, Gazole, Sujapur, Manikchak, Baishnabnagar and Ratua. Siddheswari Institute is catering to Harishchandrapur, Chanchal and Malatipur constituencies, ensuring systematic distribution across the district.

The movement of election equipment has been closely monitored as part of the final stage of pre-poll preparations. Security has been significantly strengthened at all three centres, with strict surveillance in place to ensure that the distribution process remains smooth and incident-free.

The district administration sources, a total of 172 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed across Malda to maintain law and order during the polling process. This includes the deployment of women personnel from central forces as well. In addition, around 3,000 state police personnel, 36 inspectors in charge, and nearly 1,000 sub-inspectors have been assigned election duty across the district.

Malda Superintendent of Police Anupam Singh stated that sensitive and vulnerable polling booths have already been identified and placed under heightened surveillance. He added that special monitoring mechanisms have been activated to keep a close watch on anti-social elements and prevent any untoward incidents during the election process.

Security arrangements have also been reinforced through the establishment of 37 naka checking points across the district, along with 327 quick response teams stationed strategically to handle emergencies and ensure rapid intervention whenever required.

With preparations entering the final phase, authorities have expressed confidence that the combination of extensive logistical planning and strong security deployment will ensure peaceful and orderly polling across Malda district in the first phase of the elections.