Kolkata, 12 October (H.S.): The Calcutta High Court on Monday sought a detailed report from the West Bengal State Election Commission on the shortage of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines ahead of municipal elections scheduled in seven key municipalities towards the end of the year.

A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge directed the Commission to file an affidavit clarifying whether polling data collected from EVMs and VVPAT machines can be stored separately on hard disks and whether such a procedure is legally permissible.

According to sources, the Commission may issue the formal election notification in the last week of October. Polling is tentatively planned for the last week of November, with results likely to be declared in early December.

The first phase is expected to cover seven municipalities: Kolkata, Howrah, Bally, Haldia, Dhupguri, Kalimpong and Kurseong. A total of 6,301 polling booths are expected to be set up across these municipalities, and administrative preparations have begun.

The State Election Commission currently has 21,184 ballot units and 19,564 control units. The shortage of voting equipment has emerged as a major administrative challenge ahead of the polls.

At least 15 municipalities across 12 districts of West Bengal currently have no elected civic boards and are being administered by administrators. Howrah Municipal Corporation has gone without an election since 2013, while the tenure of its elected board ended in 2018.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh