Kolkata, Oct. 29 -- Elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Howrah municipal Corporations (HMC) may not be held before the second week of December.
Sources have indicated that the second week of December is being considered as the possible time. Though, the state government's approval is necessary. The West Bengal State Election Commission has already started preparing for the polls. Urban development and Municipal Affairs minister Agnimitra Paul said that no decision has been taken to defer the civic body elections.
Training for election staff is scheduled to begin on November 3. Preparations reportedly include deploying presiding officers and first, second and third polling officers to manage the voting process. According to commission sources, Kolkata is expected to have 4,711 polling booths, requiring an estimated 22,613 polling personnel.
One significant development is that the None of the Above (NOTA) option may not be available on electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the Kolkata municipal election, sources said. The polls in both Kolkata and Howrah are also expected to be conducted using state police personnel for security and election management.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.