The last date for filing nominations is February 9
Elections for 108 municipalities in 20 districts of the state will be held on February 27. The West Bengal State Election Commission on Thursday issued a notification detailing the election process including nomination, scrutiny and withdrawal of candidates. The notification said that the last date for filing nomination papers for voting is February 9 and the election process will be completed by March 8.
About 95 lakh voters will be able to exercise their franchise to elect ward representatives and mayors of 108 municipal bodies. With the notification, the model code of conduct has come into force in these municipalities.
Elections to four municipal corporations – Siliguri, Bidhannagar, Asansol and Chandranagar – are scheduled on February 12 and the results of the four municipalities will be declared on February 14. The elections to these four municipal corporations were postponed on the directions of the Calcutta High Court. Spike in COVID-19 infections a few weeks back. Polling was held in Kolkata Municipal Corporation on 19 December and Trinamool Congress won with a thumping majority.
Elections in municipal bodies have been pending for the past few years but voting could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the state. There are municipal elections on February 27, when the maximum number of municipal elections are going to be held. From Darjeeling in the north to South 24 Parganas in the south, voting will be held in municipal bodies across the state. Polling will be held for 25 municipal bodies in North 24 Parganas.
Political parties in opposition, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left, had urged the State Election Commission to postpone the civic polls for four weeks in view of the COVID-19 situation in the state.
,