After Kolkata, four municipal corporations in West Bengal to have elections on January 22

After Kolkata’s municipal elections, West Bengal is going to have elections for four major municipal corporations on January 22.

The state election commission on Monday declared the dates concerning the elections. The four major urban centres to have elections are Siliguri (in north Bengal), Chandernagore, Bidhannagar, and Asansol. Howrah Municipal Corporation, one of the most important urban centres in West Bengal, has not figured with these municipal bodies, as an amendment bill seeking bifurcation of the municipal area is awaiting Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s approval.

Across the four municipal corporations, over 19 lakh registered voters will elect candidates for 227 seats at 2,078 polling stations. Out of the four centres, Asansol city is the biggest urban centre with 106 seats and a voter base of over 9 lakh. The vote count is expected on January 25.

The parties in Opposition, however, expressed their own reservations about the polls. The BJP that failed to perform well, like the Left and the Congress, in the recent Kolkata municipal elections, expressed strong reservations about the voters list under consideration for the upcoming polls. The commission has considered the voters list as updated in the list till November 1.

Senior BJP leader and state spokesperson Jayprakash Majumdar told Deccan Herald, that for elections, an annually revised voter-list should, it’s expected, be considered. “The new voter list (revised) will come out around 5 January. So all votes in the year 2022 will consider that list. When the election is to take place on 22 January for four municipal corporations, the new voter list should be considered. But that's not being considered,” Majumdar said.

The recent Kolkata municipal election also witnessed allegations against the ruling Trinamool Congress. Opposition parties claimed that the state election commission and police didn’t play an active role to ensure a free and fair elections. The Trinamool then bagged 134 seats out of 144 seats.

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