Preparations for the Legislative Assembly elections, set for April 23, have been confirmed by the district administrations of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, coinciding with the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Darjeeling district has 1,148,209 registered voters, while Kalimpong has 201,931, which includes electorate cases under adjudication—6,790 in Kalimpong and 80,003 in Darjeeling. As part of the electoral process, specialized teams supervising election expenditure and MCC compliance have been established, and a complaint monitoring cell is operational with a 24/7 toll-free number, 1950, for citizen complaints.
In light of the Supreme Court’s directives, a judicial team is reviewing the adjudication cases, although completion time for this review is not yet specified. Additionally, around 50 companies of central forces are deployed across Darjeeling’s six constituencies to ensure security, with live webcasting and CCTV monitoring at polling stations planned. The MCC stipulates that nominations must be submitted by April 6, scrutinized by April 7, and withdrawals finalized by April 9. Vote counting is scheduled for May 4.
Darjeeling will host 1,517 polling stations across 1,054 locations, with 7,739 service electors and 7,662 PWD electors. The electorate distribution in Darjeeling District includes: Darjeeling AC with 217,170 voters, Kurseong AC with 221,235 voters, Matigara–Naxalbari AC with 277,004, Siliguri AC with 203,405, and Phansidewa AC with 229,395 voters. Kalimpong District, consisting solely of Kalimpong AC, will have 293 polling stations across 251 locations, with 1,857 service voters and 2,509 PWD electors.