80L new voters added in draft electoral roll

Kolkata: With Bengal civic polls expected to be held in April-May, nearly 80 lakh new names have been added to the draft electoral roll.

Greeting the citizens on social media on National Voters' Day on Saturday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Today is #NationalVotersDay. We are the world's largest democracy. In a democracy, voters are supreme. We salute all the people who vote. We are all citizens."

Bengal civic polls will be held in 107 municipalities across the state and in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) in April-May 2020.

"We have received 80 lakh fresh applications," said State Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab on the sidelines of State Level National Voters' Day programme held at Paschim Banga Bangla Academy.

State Home secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and other officials were also present. The Electoral Literacy Club nodal officers were felicitated for their performance. National Voters' Day 2020 State Award was given to South 24-Parganas District Officer Dr P Ulaganathan. The award was given in recognition of his commendable leadership in motivating and guiding his team to deliver noticeable qualitative improvements in electoral rolls through community mobilisation of women and young electors while enhancing fidelity and cleanliness of the electoral rolls of the district.

The National Voters' Day 2020's theme is 'Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy'. The day is celebrated since 2011 to mark the Foundation Day of Election Commission of India, which was established on January 25, 1950.

In January 2019, the number of voters in Bengal had reached 6,97,60,868 which was a rise of almost 2.51 per cent compared to the Lok Sabha elections held in 2014. The figures were made official in the final roll which has been published by the Election Commission of India. According to the draft roll, the number of electors was 6,80,50, 595.

It may be mentioned that the draft list of reservations for civic polls in 92 urban local bodies prepared by the state Election Commission has already been released. Eight out of 144 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has come under SC reservation and three of these have been reserved for SC women. 45 wards have been reserved for general women. Ward 33, 58, 78, 107, 110, 127, 141 and 142 have come under SC reservation out of which 33, 78 and 127 have gone to SC women. The Commission is scheduled to release the final list of reservations on February 10.

On Friday, the Trinamool supremo had held a closed-door meeting with party functionaries and discussed TMC's strategy for the ensuing Bengal civic elections.