Colour codes for easy identification

Kolkata: In a unique stride towards easy identification of 10,000 polling personnel deployed on election duty, the North Dinajpur district administration is resorting to colour coding.

"There will be different colour coding for each of the nine constituencies that come under North Dinajpur. The polling personnels' appointment letters, caps, the stickers on vehicles in which they will be travelling and the tents put up at the distribution centre will be sporting the same colour, matching with the respective Assembly constituencies, in which they will be deployed," said Arvind Kumar Mina, District Election Officer (DEO), North Dinajpur.

For the Chopra Assembly constituency, the colour will be aquamarine, for Islampur it will be white, for Goalpokher it will be yellow, lime green for Chakulia, indigo for Karandighi, light green for Hemtabad, magenta for Kaliaganj, mustard for Raiganj and golden fluorescent for Itahar. Apart from Itahar and Chopra, seven of the Assembly constituencies (AC) come under the Raiganj Parliamentary constituency (PC). Chopra AC falls under Darjeeling PC while Itahar comes under Balurghat.

According to a senior official in the DEO, the state police personnel on poll duty will also have caps, vehicles and tents matching with the respective colour codes. The employees at the centre who will be distributing the EVMs to polling personnel will be wearing T-shirts in parity with the colour codes for quick and hassle-free identification.

The district administration will be providing medical kits, basic toiletries, free bedrolls that include mosquito repellents to the polling personnel. The latter will also be handed over note pads along with folders and pens. The first phase training of the polling personnel have already been held and the second phase will happen in the first week of April.