Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls to be conducted on Dec 19

Kolkata: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday announced that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections will be held on December 19 and the entire process will be over by December 22.

However, the Commission didn't announce the election of the Howrah Municipal Corporation because of legal issues.

State Election Commissioner Sourav Das held a press conference where he told reporters that there will be 4,742 main polling stations along with 385 auxiliary ones spanned across 1,707 premises in the 144 wards of the KMC.

The notification issued by the State Election Commission also stated that the last date for nomination is on December 1 with the next day being reserved for scrutiny. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is on December 4. The counting dates will be likely on December 21, which will be notified soon in a separate notification by the SEC. The date for repolling, if any, will be on December 20, 2021. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will be in effect from today (Thursday) itself, said Das. The total number of electors is 4048352 and the poll timing is from 7 am to 5 pm. EVMs will be used for the elections.

The SEC will be following the same Covid protocols that were in place during the recent by-elections in the state. No public meetings on a large scale will be allowed particularly from 7 pm to 10 am and emphasis should be on small public meetings. Candidates along with two others will be allowed in the room of the Returning Officer (RO) during the filing of nomination.

"For holding public meetings, a big place can be allowed with due permission from the concerned police administration," a senior SEC official said adding that the silent zone will be in effect from 72 hours before the end of the poll day.

When questioned about the deployment of security for smooth conduct of the polls, Das said the SEC has urged the DG and CP Kolkata for an elaborate security plan which is expected soon.

"Accordingly, the deployment of security will be finalised by the Commission," he added.

The State Election Commissioner on Thursday launched the web-based Election Grievance Management System (EGMS) through which any person can register his/her grievance. "We will take prompt redressal measures by sending the complaint to the proper authority," Das said.

Firhad Hakim, senior Trinamool Congress leader, said that people will vote on the basis of all-round development that has taken place under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"The people have voted for TMC in the Assembly elections and then in the recent by-elections too which has enabled us to have a landslide victory. We are confident of a comprehensive win in the KMC elections too," he added.