Supplementary electoral rolls: West Bengal orders law and order precautions for March 23 publication

The West Bengal government has instructed all district magistrates to take precautionary steps to maintain law and order during the publication of supplementary electoral rolls on March 23. The Home and Hill Affairs Department advised crowd control at likely gathering points, close monitoring of vulnerable areas, and coordination with police, including informing Superintendents and Commissioners.

The West Bengal government has told district magistrates to step up preparations for law and order. The directions focus on the publication of the supplementary electoral rolls on March 23. Officials expect the updated voter list to be released on Monday evening. The Home and Hill Affairs Department sent the instruction from the state secretariat on Saturday.

The order was issued by the senior special secretary to the state government. A senior official said the communication asked officers to prevent crowd trouble at sensitive locations. District authorities were also told to plan support systems in advance. Police units were asked to stay updated during the roll publication process.

West Bengal supplementary electoral rolls: law and order steps

The letter listed specific actions for district administrations. "In view of the above, I am directed to request you that appropriate precautionary steps from your end may be taken for control of crowd at possible places of gathering, strict vigil be exercised at vulnerable points, and other measures be taken towards maintenance of law and order,\" it stated.

The communication also directed coordination with senior police officers. \"I am further directed to request you that respective Superintendents of Police/Commissioners of Police be also informed accordingly,\" the letter added. Copies were also sent to the director general of police. The inspector general of police and the commissioner of Kolkata Police also received copies.

West Bengal supplementary electoral rolls: voter list publication plan

An Election Commission official said the first supplementary voter list in West Bengal is likely on March 23. Preparations are in progress for public display of the updated list. The plan covers nearly 80,000 polling booths across the state. Officials said the list will be displayed once it is finalised by Monday.

The supplementary roll is important because it may add pending voter names. These names were linked to applications marked as under adjudication earlier. That status was recorded after the final electoral roll was issued on February 28. The additional list may resolve many of those pending entries.

A poll official said more than 60 lakh names were first marked under adjudication. The official said more than 27 lakh cases were disposed of till Friday afternoon. The updated list is expected to reflect these decisions. Authorities are preparing for local crowd management around publication points.

West Bengal is scheduled to vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Counting of votes is set for May 4. With the supplementary electoral rolls due on March 23, officials are focusing on calm conditions. The state government has asked district teams and police to stay alert and coordinated.

With inputs from PTI