Pioneer News Service | Kolkata
Even as the Election Commission has earmarked almost half of the poll booths in West Bengal as sensitive, a study done by an NGO has found that almost 19 per cent of the candidates in the fray in the first phase of elections have a criminal background in the sense that they all have cases pending against them.
According to the EC, about 28,000 booths in the State are sensitive. There are 51,919 booths in Bengal. The Commission has also found that out of the 28,000 booths 23,300 booths are highly sensitive.
The EC has appointed 13 police observers of the ranks of DIGs and above to supervise the elections.
The NGO studied the records of 253 candidates and found that 49 had criminal cases pending against them. Apart from that, 143 candidates in the first phase have not filed their income tax returns. There are candidates who have not filed I-T returns notwithstanding owning assets more than one crore rupees, sources said.
Interestingly, out of the candidates participating in the first phase, 29 have PG degrees, the NGO said, adding more than 50 per cent of the candidates in the fray were more than 50-years of age.
Though elections in Bengal always a political sensitive State have been an exciting affair no less thrilling than Durga Pujas or the great Kolkata Book Fair this time round it has a special appeal particularly against the backdrop of a wave for change blowing across the State.
Meanwhile, sources in Jalpaiguri administration said that, though the security forces were ready to thwart any kind of unfair practices the electioneering could take a beating after reports of raids by wild elephants in parts of Alipurduar.
"The people are afraid of coming out in these parts of the sub-division", a source said. He added it was the mating season for elephants and the animals could turn violent on seeing queues of voters and the resultant din. The jumbo scare reportedly even came in the way of poll campaigning in the past couple of days, sources added.
Even as the Election Commission has earmarked almost half of the poll booths in West Bengal as sensitive, a study done by an NGO has found that almost 19 per cent of the candidates in the fray in the first phase of elections have a criminal background in the sense that they all have cases pending against them.
According to the EC, about 28,000 booths in the State are sensitive. There are 51,919 booths in Bengal. The Commission has also found that out of the 28,000 booths 23,300 booths are highly sensitive.
The EC has appointed 13 police observers of the ranks of DIGs and above to supervise the elections.
The NGO studied the records of 253 candidates and found that 49 had criminal cases pending against them. Apart from that, 143 candidates in the first phase have not filed their income tax returns. There are candidates who have not filed I-T returns notwithstanding owning assets more than one crore rupees, sources said.
Interestingly, out of the candidates participating in the first phase, 29 have PG degrees, the NGO said, adding more than 50 per cent of the candidates in the fray were more than 50-years of age.
Though elections in Bengal always a political sensitive State have been an exciting affair no less thrilling than Durga Pujas or the great Kolkata Book Fair this time round it has a special appeal particularly against the backdrop of a wave for change blowing across the State.
Meanwhile, sources in Jalpaiguri administration said that, though the security forces were ready to thwart any kind of unfair practices the electioneering could take a beating after reports of raids by wild elephants in parts of Alipurduar.
"The people are afraid of coming out in these parts of the sub-division", a source said. He added it was the mating season for elephants and the animals could turn violent on seeing queues of voters and the resultant din. The jumbo scare reportedly even came in the way of poll campaigning in the past couple of days, sources added.
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