Panchayat General Elections 2018 – Public Holiday
GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
FINANCE (AUDIT) DEPARTMENT
325, SARAT CHATTERJEE ROAD, NABANNA,
HOWRAH-711 102.
No. 2161-F(P2) Howrah, the 4th April, 2018
MEMORANDUM
In view of Panchayat General Elections 2018 to the Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad Constituencies scheduled to be held in three phases on 1st, 3rd and 5th of May 2018 in different districts in the State (except Darjeeling and Kalimpong District), the Governor is hereby pleased to declare the said days as public holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 for the districts as follows:
| Sl. No | Date of Poll | Name of Districts | Date of holiday under the N.I. Act |
| 1 | 01.05.2018 (Tuesday) | Nadia, North 24 Pagrganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Bardhaman. | 01-05-2018 has already been declared as a holiday under the said Act. |
| 2 | 03-05-2018 (Thursday) | Murshidabad, Birbhum. | 03-05-2018 |
| 3 | 05-05-2018 (Saturday) | Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, and Malda. | 05-05-2018 |
All State Government Offices including Educational Institutions, State Government Undertakings, Corporations, Boards, Statutory and Local Bodies and other parastatals under the State Government situated within the districts excepting those within the municipal area shall remain closed on the respective date so that every employee is able to exercise his/her right to franchise in the elections.
2. The Labour Department will issue suitable instructions to Shop, Commercial and Industrial Establishments including Tea Gardens to declare the said dates for the concerned districts as paid holiday for the workers to enable them to exercise their franchise in the elections.
3. In case the date of poll is a working day for any office under Central Government or any other establishment within the concerned district, the employees who are voters to the elections shall be permitted to cast their votes by way of granting special leave.
4. In case of employee working outside the concerned district and when the date of poll has not been declared as a holiday there as in Para 1 above, the employee shall be allowed special leave for the day to enable him/her to cast the vote.
5. In case of repoll, the employees/workers shall be allowed to cast their votes on the date of repoll in the manner as in Para 3 and 4 above.
6. The day before the date of poll being the date of despatch is hereby declared as local holiday for the Educational Institutions situated within the respective districts excepting those within the Municipal area as detailed below:
| Sl. No | Date of Poll | Name of Districts | Date of Local holiday for educational/ other institutions |
| 1 | 01.05.2018 (Tuesday) | Nadia, North 24 Pagrganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Bardhaman. | 30-04-2018 is a holiday on account of Buddha Purnima under the N.I. Act. |
| 2 | 03-05-2018 (Thursday) | Murshidabad, Birbhum | 02-05-2018 has already been declared holiday (Vide F.D. Memo No. 2065-F(P2) dated 31-03-2018). |
| 3 | 05-05-2018 (Satruday) | Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda. | 04-05-2018 |
In case any educational institution or establishment falling within any municipal area has been selected as Despatch/Reception Centre or for any other election related purpose, local holiday may be declared for the said institution/establishment by the Competent Authority on the day of despatch or reception, as the case may be.
7. The poll process may continue up to late hours in the nights on 1st May, 2018, 3rd May, 2018 and 5th May, 2018 as the case may be and the polling parties may obtain their release from their Reception Centres in the small hours of the morning ( or even afterwards) of 2nd May, 2018, 4th May, 2018 and 6th May, 2018 respectively rendering it difficult for them to attend office in time on 4th May (2nd May has already been declared holiday and 6th May is a Sunday). In consideration of the situation, special leave may be allowed for the 4th May, 2018 to the officers and employees who would be deployed for polling duties on 3rd May, 2018.
Sd/- D. K. Mahapatra
OSD & E.O. Special Secretary
Finance Department
Government of West Bengal