Civic polls: Bengal SEC asks police to start area domination, route march

The State Election Commission (SEC) of West Bengal has directed the police to start area domination and route march as a confidence building measure of voters ahead of the polls in four municipal corporations next month.

The SEC has also directed that all borders be sealed and incoming vehicles be ''vigorously checked''.

''Area domination and route march as confidence building measures to the electors to be conducted. All incomplete buildings, community halls, marriage halls, lodges, guest houses, hotels, stadiums shall be vigorously checked and kept under watch to obviate the possibility of harbooring of miscreants or stockpiling of arms and particularly to ensure that any group of outsiders is not accommodated in any such place,'' the SEC said in a directive.

The SEC recently postponed the elections to municipal corporations of Siliguri, Chandernagore, Bidhannagar and Asansol by three weeks from January 22 to February 12 in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases.

The poll body also directed the police to go for preventive detention of criminals from 5 pm a day before the polling day till the completion of the poll.

Security forces ''should be alert to ensure there is no rigging or booth capturing'', it said.