Kolkata Teachers Face Potential Ban on Serving as Polling Agents in Elections
A senior Election Commission official announced on Friday that schoolteachers in Kolkata and across West Bengal might soon face restrictions on serving as polling and counting agents for political parties during elections. This move aims to maintain electoral integrity and manage staffing needs effectively.
Expanding the Ban to Ensure Neutrality
The proposed ban would extend beyond government teachers to include educators in government-aided schools. The official clarified the reasoning behind this decision. "Persons receiving any honorarium or aid from the government, or persons working part-time in any government or aided institution, shall not act as a polling agent," he stated firmly. "A polling agent cannot be someone who receives any honorarium from the state exchequer."
This step reinforces the principle that teachers should remain neutral during elections. Polling agents, in contrast, actively represent the interests of specific political candidates. By barring teachers from these roles, the Commission hopes to uphold impartiality in the electoral process.
Addressing Critical Staff Shortages
The Election Commission faces a pressing challenge with staff shortages for the upcoming Assembly elections. West Bengal expects to set up approximately 94,000 polling booths. Each booth requires four dedicated polling personnel:
- A presiding officer
- Three polling officers
To fully staff these booths and maintain reserves, the Commission needs more than six lakh personnel. The actual requirement at the booths alone stands at 3.8 lakh. Additional staff strength is essential for District Election Officers' offices and counting centres.
By preventing teachers from acting as polling agents, the Commission can deploy them and other school staff for essential poll duty. This strategy helps meet the substantial manpower demands of the election.
Clarifying Eligibility and Legal Restrictions
The official provided further details on who can and cannot serve as polling agents. "Normally, a polling agent is from the same booth or the neighbourhood," he explained. "But if a candidate has no agent in an area, he can appoint anyone from the same Assembly constituency as his polling agent, provided the agent possesses an EPIC."
Interestingly, the Commission imposes no restrictions on appointing panchayat pradhans, panchayat members, or councillors as polling agents. However, the law clearly prohibits certain individuals from serving in these roles.
The following persons cannot act as election agents, polling agents, or counting agents:
- Sitting Ministers of State or Union ministers
- MPs and MLAs
- Mayors and Zilla Parishad chairpersons
- Chairpersons and members of Central PSUs, state PSUs, government bodies, or corporations
- Paramedical or healthcare staff in government or government-aided institutions
- Fair price shop dealers
- Anganwadi employees
Legal Consequences for Violations
The official cited Section 134(A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, to underscore the seriousness of these rules. "No person in the service of the government can act as a polling agent," he emphasized. "This is an offence punishable with imprisonment for up to three months, or with fine, or with both."
Since government employees are already ineligible to serve as polling agents, the Commission is now considering extending this prohibition to schoolteachers and staff. This expansion aims to streamline election operations and ensure a fair, well-staffed electoral process across Kolkata and West Bengal.
