3,000 women poll personnel in Bengal: Poll panel

Kolkata, April 4 (IANS) The Election Commission Friday said as many as 3,000 women poll personnel will be deployed in 575 polling booths in West Bengal.

According to chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta, 575 booths across the state will have women personnel.

Nearly half of the state's 19 districts will have all-women poll booths, another official said.

As per the designated number of officials at poll stations, there will be four women personnel at each booth.

This is a significant increase from the number of such special polling booths in the 2011 assembly elections.

"There were a few all-women polling booths earlier. In the Lok Sabha election, nearly half of the districts will have all-women polling booths," an Election Commission official told IANS earlier.

Districts like North 24 Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly are part of the initiative, the official said.

"Necessary security measures will be taken," the official said.

Further information on the status of the all-women polling booths will be available after officials of the Election Commission arrive April 5, the official said.

The first phase of polling in the state will be held April 17.