Polling personnel protest due to lack of transportation & due payments

Cooch Behar: Prior to heading to their polling stations, polling personnel broke out in protests in Dinhata and Mathabhanga DCRC Centres in Cooch Behar. In one instance, polling personnel protested against lack of transportation by blocking the road. Protests erupted at Dinhata College DCRC as polling personnel had not received their duty payments.

At Mathabhanga College DCRC, polling personnel protested against the lack of transportation to take them to their polling stations, having waited for two hours without success.

Upon receiving news of the protest, the Mathabhanga Police rushed to the scene.

A verbal altercation ensued between the polling personnel and the police which was later resolved with the arrival of a large police force. With police assurance, the blockade was lifted and the situation returned to normal. Meanwhile, polling personnel were being dispatched to polling centres, yet their remuneration had not been credited to their accounts. At the DCRC centre in Dinhata College, polling personnel protested with slogans of ‘no cash, no vote,’ demanding payment before proceeding to their polling stations. Cooch Behar District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Meena stated: “All arrangements have been made as per the guidelines of the Election Commission. Polling proceeded peacefully and smoothly everywhere. While some transactions failed to fund polling workers’ accounts, there is a cash counter from which they are being provided payment.”