Kolkata
EC Likely to Reduce Counting Centres in West Bengal Ahead of Vote Counting
Proposed cut from 87 to 77 centres raises concerns from Trinamool Congress
The Election Commission of India is likely to reduce the number of counting centres for the West Bengal Assembly elections to 77 from the earlier 87, an official said on Thursday. The move comes just days before vote counting and has triggered concerns from the ruling All India Trinamool Congress.
Officials have not disclosed the reasons behind the proposed reduction, adding to the political debate surrounding the decision. The development follows an earlier revision, where the number of counting centres was scaled down from 108 to 87 approximately two weeks ago.
Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, confirmed the changes and said the adjustments were part of the planning process for handling vote counting across the state’s 294 Assembly constituencies.
The move has sparked questions from the Trinamool Congress, which has been raising concerns over election-related procedures in the run-up to counting day. With political tensions already high, the reduction in counting centres is expected to remain a point of contention between parties and election authorities.
