Municipal polls in three municipality areas of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong in Darjeeling district have been cancelled as no nomination from these municipalities was filed. Besides, by-elections in eight gram panchayats (GP) and a zilla parishad have been postponed by the State Election Commission.

Considering the unrest in the Maoist-dominated West Midnapore and Bankura districts, the State Election Commission has postponed the by-polls to Kharagpur I, Kharagpur II, Binpur II, Garbeta II, Garbeta III and Daspur II panchayats. The commission has also postponed the elections in Sarenga Zilla Parishad in Bankura.

The commission postponed panchayat polls in two gram panchayats of Sandeshkhali block II in North 24-Parganas after locals staged a protest claiming how polls can be held in the area completely washed out by Cyclone Aila.

“We had to cancel polls in Darjeeling district as no nominations were filed for polls. The panchayat by-elections in West Midnapore and North 24-Parganas were postponed as the situation in these areas was not conducive to conduct polls,” said Mira Pande, State Election Commissioner. “The polls will be conducted after normalcy is restored,” added Pande.

She said all the polling stations will be manned by at least two armed state policemen and there will be mobile patrols of police and magistrates.

According to Pande, after the campaigning gets over political functionaries cannot move out of the place where he would cast his vote.