Kolkata, April 16 -- The Election Commission has identified more than 100 polling booths in Kolkata without electricity, raising concerns over voting and mandatory webcasting.

The issue is significant as webcasting has been made compulsory at every polling station this election to enhance transparency and surveillance.

"Webcasting cannot function without reliable power. District election officers have been directed to immediately ensure electricity connections at all such booths," an official in the Bengal Chief Electoral Officer's office said.

Where restoration of regular supply is not possible within the deadline, officials have been asked to deploy generators and arrange temporary connections, with clear instructions that webcasting must continue uninterrupted.

While lack of electricity in remote rural booths is not unusual and had been addressed earlier, officials said such lapses in Kolkata's urban polling infrastructure came as a surprise.

Most polling stations operate out of school buildings, raising questions over basic civic infrastructure.

Officials in south Kolkata said temporary lines and backup generators are being arranged at affected locations to meet the deadline before polling day. Sources in the CEO's office said the largest concentration of such booths is in the Kolkata Port area, with more than 50 identified.

"It is really surprising. We do not understand how polling was conducted in these locations in previous elections without proper electricity," an official said.

Authorities said uninterrupted power is critical for webcasting and adequate lighting inside polling rooms.

"On polling day, windows and extra doors are often kept shut for security reasons, making rooms dark. Without sufficient lighting, voting may be hampered," the official added.

The Commission has issued guidelines on minimum polling infrastructure, including electricity, drinking water and functional toilets, and asked districts to plug gaps within days.

Complaints over the lack of drinking water and usable toilets in several booths have prompted fresh instructions to district election officers.

West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting on May 4, as per the notified schedule. The intervention underscores the urgency of fixing last-mile infrastructure gaps to ensure free, fair and technologically monitored polling.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.