Latest news with #WBCS
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bengal set to add over 13,000 booths ahead of 2026 polls
Kolkata: Bengal is set to add 13,816 new polling booths, taking the projected number of polling booths in the state from 80,613 to 94,479. The addition follows EC mandate limiting the number of voters per booth from 1,500 to 1,200. A final call on number of booths will however be taken after a meeting between EC officials and representatives of political parties on Wednesday. A senior official said final booths will be decided on advice of political parties and DMs, following which the EC would issue a notification. The EC had earlier directed Bengal's chief electoral officer to rationalise polling booths ahead of 2026 assembly elections. It has been decided that booths will be set up in multi-storey complexes, slums and community halls, to improve participation. Sources indicated that the number of booths could increase further based on a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by Jan 2026. Data from the 2002 SIR of some assembly constituencies, including Kulpi in South 24 Parganas, have not been traced. As a result, the EC plans to consider the 2003 draft roll for the SIR in Bengal. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in Kolkata South 24 Parganas, with 31 assembly seats, currently has 8,859 booths. That number is set to rise to 10,410. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo North 24 Parganas, encompassing 33 assembly segments, has 8,658 booths. Its likely to have 10,054 booths following additions. Meanwhile, the EC has objected to employment of contractual data-entry operators following complaints against some of them. DMs have been instructed against employing casual employees for the roll revision process. The EC has requested 600 staff for roll revision-related tasks. Further, the EC has sought action against four officials, including two WBCS (Exe) officers, and demanded FIRs be lodged against them. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CM warns of conspiracy to remove names from rolls, hand NRC notices
1 2 Jhargram/Kolkata: CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday warned people of Bengal "not to fill up forms without knowing its contents thoroughly" and claimed it was a plan by central govt "to remove names from the voter list and hand over NRC notices before pushing them to Bangladesh". Inaugurating the four-day long celebrations of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Jhargram, Banerjee lashed out at the "conspiracy by the double-engine govt". "They will verify names on the voters' list. People must cross-check if their names are on the list." In a veiled attack on BJP, the CM said: "These people will come before elections and ask for votes by giving money. Whose money is that?" "(You can) give everything, but do not give up your own address, your own language, your own existence. Without existence, nothing will remain," she added. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Banerjee reiterated that the state will not accept the Election Commission's directives to suspend two WBCS officers. "Two WBCS officers were suspended even though elections have not been declared. Under which rule? We all know that ECI can take action from the day polls are declared. Dr Ambedkar did not write this Constitution which they are following. Do they think they can intimidate officers using NRC through the back door? The state govt was, is and will continue to stand by govt employees," the CM said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Discover the AI-powered language app that's changing how everyone learns Talkpal AI Undo Banerjee wondered what hope Independence Day would hold out this year when attempts were being made to "snatch away independence". "This Aug 15 we should ask if we are really independent or not. Our citizenship must not be snatched away. There should be no racial discrimination or division among us," she said. Banerjee said those born before 2002 were being asked to show their parents' birth certificates. "How many people have the birth certificates of their parents? Those who are asking for it, do they have their parents' birth certificates?" she asked. Banerjee also questioned how Centre could brand someone a foreigner. "Those who came after the Indo-Bangladesh war legally, they are Indian citizens. As Indian citizens, why will they be sent to Bangladesh? Action should be taken against infiltrators. The Assam govt is sending notices to people of Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. They are labelling Matuas as foreigners and infiltrators," she said, urging "people to stand up against this". Once again, Banerjee criticised the harassment of Bengalis in other states. "Language is our dignity, our pride. And they say Bengali language doesn't exist. We have facilitated the return of more than 2,000 workers. They were kept in detention camps in Gurgaon. Similar persecution is going on in Rajasthan and Assam. A tribal girl from Malda was pushed back to Bangladesh from Madhya Pradesh. Dalits are being tortured," she said. The CM reminded her audience how Bengali language was mentioned in currency notes during the British Raj. "You will find Bengali on a Rs 10 note from 1912. And these useless people are saying in 2025 that there is no such language. I call for protests against this humiliation," she said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
EC suspends 4 Bengal officers, asks for FIRs
1 2 Kolkata: The Election Commission on Tuesday suspended four Bengal govt officers, including two electoral registration officers (EROs) and two assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), asking chief secretary Manoj Pant to lodge FIRs against them and start disciplinary proceedings. Prima facie, the officers had erred in checking entry of bogus voters in voters' list, the commission said in its letter to Pant. Among the four are two WBCS (exe) officers of 2012 batch, who would be placed under suspension immediately "for grave lapses committed by them" and "for failure in supervising poll-related work". Pant has been instructed to start disciplinary proceedings against them without delay. The four include the EROs and AEROs of Baruipur East in South 24 Parganas and Moyna in East Midnapore, and FIRs will be lodged "for their actions, which potentially amount to criminal misconduct". You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Earlier, Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal sent his report on the wrongful addition of names by these EROs and AROs, stating that these officers "not only failed to perform duty as ERO and AERO while disposing of the names of the applications, but also violated the policy of data security while sharing their login credentials with unauthorised persons". The EC has also requested the lodging of an FIR against a data entry operator and instructed the Bengal chief secretary to comply with the directives and send an action taken report at the earliest. The commission has sought details of agencies hired for providing data entry operators. The commission's letter further stated that under Representation of the People Act, 1950, CEO, DEO, ERO, AERO and other officers or staff employed in connection with the preparation, revision and correction of electoral rolls for conduct of polls shall be deemed to be on deputation to the EC. The action against the erring officials was being taken under section 32 of the act, the letter added. A senior official said the four officials will have a black spot on their careers unless exonerated by the EC. He mentioned that earlier two DMs were removed by the EC, and it had requested departmental proceedings against them, but state govt did not start the proceedings. The EC is likely to take action against more poll officials for their negligence or gross violation of duty, the official added.
The Print
29-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘Bangla Pokkho' rally to protest govt order notifying Hindi, Urdu as language in WBCS exam
Kolkata, Jun 29 (PTI) Members of a pro-Bengali advocacy group 'Bangla Pokkho' took out a rally in the city on Sunday in protest against the order of the state government notifying Hindi and Urdu as a recognised language in the West Bengal Civil Services Examination (WBCS). The organisation's general secretary Garga Chattopadhyay said, 'We demand Bengali be made the mandatory language in writing WBCS exams on the lines of the yardstick followed in other states.
Deccan Herald
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
'Bangla Pokkho' rally to protest govt order notifying Hindi, Urdu as language in WBCS exam
'We demand Bengali be made the mandatory language in writing WBCS exams on the lines of the yardstick followed in other states', organisation's general secretary said.
