Kolkata, March 22 (NationPress) In a decisive move, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified its efforts against unauthorized political advertisements throughout West Bengal in anticipation of the forthcoming two-phase Assembly elections slated for next month.

On Sunday evening, the ECI disclosed that a staggering total of 3,58,986 unauthorized advertisements have been eliminated from the state thus far.

Among these, 3,11,829 instances were associated with the defacement of public property, while 19,901 involved defacement of private property.

Notably, Cooch Behar district in northern Bengal witnessed the highest number of removals, totaling 33,491, with 29,474 related to public property and 4,017 to private property.

Following closely, North 24 Parganas district reported 31,920 removals, including 31,789 cases of public property defacement and 105 concerning private property.

In contrast, Kalimpong district recorded the fewest removals, standing at 593, all linked to public property defacement.

In a related development, the initial supplementary list of cases earmarked for judicial review under the “logical discrepancy” classification is set to be released on Monday. Officials mention that adequate security measures are being implemented to avert any law and order challenges following its announcement.

The polling for the West Bengal Assembly elections is scheduled to occur in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The first phase will encompass 152 constituencies, while the second phase will cover the remaining 142 constituencies.

Earlier on Sunday, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand affirmed that incidents of booth jamming, electoral fraud, or booth capturing will be strictly prohibited during the Assembly elections in the city.

This directive followed Commissioner Nand's inspection visit to Bhangar Police Station located on the southern outskirts of Kolkata.

The Election Commission is exercising rigorous oversight over election preparations and security protocols. In line with the Commission's directives, senior police officials conducted visits to police stations across the state on Sunday. Consequently, the Kolkata Police Commissioner inspected Bhangar Police Station that morning.

During his meeting with police personnel, he emphasized that all officials must comply with the guidelines established by the Election Commission. Ajay Nand reiterated that any complaints regarding booth jamming, electoral fraud, or booth capturing would be met with zero tolerance.

Later, at a press conference, he declared that the Kolkata Police are fully equipped to ensure a smooth election process. “Checkpoints and search operations are actively taking place in various areas. Patrolling is also being coordinated with Central forces,” he stated.