Election Commission Reviews Plan to Set Up Polling Stations in High-Rise Societies

The Election Commission of India has intensified efforts to implement a significant electoral reform by scheduling critical discussions in Kolkata regarding the establishment of polling stations directly within private housing complexes that include multiple high-rise structures, viewing this as a strategic measure to improve voter participation in densely populated urban zones ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.

Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti's visit to the city underscores the Commission's determination, as he presides over a meeting with electoral officers from pivotal districts such as Kolkata North, Kolkata South, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas, in collaboration with the state Chief Electoral Officer's team, to meticulously review progress and resolve pending issues before the stipulated December 31 deadline for submitting detailed proposals.

Insiders from the ECI reveal that the proposal targets the substantial segment of the electorate—estimated at around 10 percent in Kolkata and adjacent areas—who live in towering residential societies, where apprehensions about potential election-day violence and the inconvenience of traveling to distant polling locations have contributed to notably lower turnout rates in previous elections.

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Having earlier issued stern reprimands and warnings of disciplinary measures against district electoral officers for inaction, the Commission has mandated thorough house-to-house surveys across gated communities, resident welfare association premises with accessible community halls, and urban slum clusters, invoking statutory obligations under the Representation of the People Act to ensure adequate and convenient polling facilities for all registered voters.

The initiative, however, faces staunch resistance from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the ruling Trinamool Congress, who contend in formal communications to the Chief Election Commissioner that shifting booths to private properties would erode the principles of electoral impartiality, breach long-standing conventions prioritizing government or semi-government venues within a reasonable distance, and inadvertently foster inequalities by favoring residents of upscale complexes over the wider population.

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