The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered tourists and non-residents to vacate popular coastal destinations in Purba Medinipur district, including Digha, Mandarmani, Tajpur, Udaipur and Shankarpur, by Tuesday evening.
An order issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Bengal also directs hotels to ensure that their rooms are not occupied by anyone not residing in the district, from 6 pm on Tuesday till the end of polling on April 23.
The coastal belt of Purba Medinipur attracts tourists throughout the year and is among the most visited destinations in West Bengal. The Commission’s order effectively halts tourism activity across this entire stretch for 48 hours, an unusually broad enforcement perimeter that extends well beyond the direct voting infrastructure of the hospitality sector.
The unprecedented order issued by the poll body also explicitly prohibited political party activists from remaining in the area during this period. She said the violations would be treated as offenses punishable under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which prescribes a prison sentence of 6 to 12 months for disobeying an order issued by a public servant.
Following the official order issued by the poll, police stations covering Digha, Digha Mohana and Mandarmani Coast have issued public announcements over loudspeakers from Monday night, asking tourists to leave these destinations by Tuesday, 6pm. Hotels have also been told that there are no strangers on the premises.
All the tourist destinations covered under the order fall within the Ramnagar Assembly constituency, which was represented by three-time Trinamool Congress legislator Akhil Giri in the outgoing Assembly.
“The rationale behind asking genuine tourists to leave is the fear that outsiders with the intention of causing disturbances could enter the area under the guise of tourism and create disturbances during the polls,” a senior official in the CEO’s office said.
The tourist eviction order is the first of its kind issued by the Election Commission of India during the Assembly election cycle.
Officials also claimed that similar restrictions could be expanded to other coastal or tourist areas in later stages “if the security situation requires it.”
However, what makes it particularly notable is its context – both West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, which will go to the polls simultaneously on April 23, have large coastlines.
The order is part of a broader enforcement drive by the Election Commission of India ahead of the first phase, covering 152 constituencies across north Bengal and several districts in south Bengal.
The Election Commission of India also suspended three executive judges posted with the flying squad in Bhabanipur, where Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee is facing the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, for dereliction of duty, just days before the first phase of polling on April 23.
The action comes as the commission intensifies its enforcement stance across the state, with eight areas placed under special monitoring ahead of the first phase.
The three suspended officials are Suranjan Das, Satyaranjan Pal and Souvik Nandi, all of whom were serving as executive magistrates of the Flying Squad assigned to Habbanipur.
According to an official notification from the commission, the three officers were on duty from 9 pm on April 17 to 7 am on April 18. During this period, instead of carrying out their assigned duties of monitoring and enforcement, the three officials were found sitting outside the Bhabanipur police station without any practical justification.
This alleged lapse came to light during a surprise visit by the Comptroller of Expenditure – an officer charged with monitoring income and expenditure during the election period – who pointed out the lapse. After that, an official complaint was submitted to the committee, following which a suspension order was issued
