Kolkata, 23 March (H.S.) : Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified its crackdown on unauthorised political advertisements across West Bengal, removing more than 358,000 illegal posters, banners and hoardings for violating the Model Code of Conduct.

In a statement issued late Sunday night, the Commission said a total of 358,986 unauthorised political advertisements have so far been taken down across the state. These included campaign materials displayed without permission and those defacing public properties.

According to the ECI, the majority of the violations involved damage to public property. As many as 311,829 advertisements were removed from government walls, roads and other public places, while 19,901 cases involved political publicity materials put up on private properties without the owners’ permission. The Commission reiterated that such enforcement drives will continue to ensure free and fair elections.

District-wise data show that Cooch Behar in north Bengal recorded the highest number of removals, with 33,491 illegal advertisements taken down, including 29,474 from public properties and 4,017 from private properties. North 24 Parganas followed with 31,920 removals, of which 31,789 were from public properties and 105 from private properties. Kalimpong recorded the lowest number, with 593 such advertisements removed, all from public properties.

Meanwhile, the Commission also announced that the first supplementary list of cases sent for judicial scrutiny under the “logical discrepancy” category will be published on Monday. Officials said adequate security arrangements are being put in place to prevent any possible law and order issues following the publication of the list.

The West Bengal Assembly elections will be conducted in two phases. Polling for the first phase will be held on April 23 covering 152 constituencies, while the second phase on April 29 will cover the remaining 142 seats. The ECI said it is continuously reviewing security preparedness to ensure peaceful and transparent polling.

In a related development, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda reviewed election preparedness and issued a stern warning against any attempts to disrupt the polling process. He said incidents such as booth capturing, bogus voting or attempts to block polling stations would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

After inspecting Bhangar Police Station in south Kolkata, the Commissioner held a meeting with senior police officials and instructed them to strictly follow ECI guidelines.

Speaking to reporters later, he said Kolkata Police is fully prepared to ensure peaceful elections. Checkpoints, search operations and joint patrols with central forces have already begun in different parts of the city to ensure that voters can exercise their franchise in a safe and secure environment.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh