By IANS,
Kolkata : At least 8,000 people living across 38 constituencies for the fifth phase of West Bengal assembly polls Saturday have been identified as vulnerable to threats by miscreants, an election official said Friday. Necessary steps have been taken to ensure they vote fearlessly.
“Eight thousand persons residing in 38 constituencies covering parts of West Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura and Burdwan districts have been listed as vulnerable to threats. We have collected their contact details and officials are maintaining round the clock contact with them to boost their confidence,” said state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sunil Kumar Gupta.
The intimidators have also been marked and election officials and security officials are keeping a close tab on them.
He said the SMS-based poll monitoring system has been upgraded so that the presiding officers in polling booths are able to send bulk SMSes to the officers, district election officers and other officials if the electronic voting machines become defunct.
“In that case immediate steps will be taken to replace the EVMs at all levels,” said Gupta.