Public holiday on Poll Days of Parliamentary Election, 2019
GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
Finance (Audit) Department
NABANNA, 325, Sarat Chatterjee Road
Howrah – 711102
No. 1787-F(P2)/FA/O/2M/74/16(NB) Dated, the 19th March, 2019
MEMO
In view of the 17th General Elections to the House of People, 2019 (Parliamentary Elections, 2019) scheduled to be held on 11th, 18th, 23rd & 29th April, 2019 and 6th, 12th & 19th May, 2019 in different Parliamentary Constituencies and simultaneous Bye-elections to 2 (two) Assembly Constituencies in this State as detailed in the following TABLE, vide relevant Press Note No. ECI/PN/23/2019 dated 10.03.2019 of the Election Commission of India, the undersigned is directed to say that the Governor is hereby pleased to declare the dates of Poll as public holiday as per TABLE below (i.e., wherever applicable) under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 for the respective Parliamentary Constituency/ Assembly Constituency.
| Phase | Date of Poll (Day) | No. & Name of Parliamentary Constituencies with Total No. of PCs involved | No. & Name of Assembly Constituencies for Bye-elections | Holiday declared under N. I. Act |
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) |
| Phase-I | 11.04.2019 (Thursday) | 1-Coochbehar(SC), 2-Alipurduar(ST). | 11.04.2019 (Thursday) | |
| Phase-ll | 18.04.2019 (Thursday) | 3-Jalpaiguri(SC), 4-Darjeeling, 5-Raiganj. | 18.04.2019 (Thursday) | |
| Phase-Ill | 23.04.2019 (Tuesday) | 6-Balurghat, 7-Maldaha Uttar, 8-Maldaha Dakshin, 9-Jangipur, 11-Murshidabad. | 23.04.2019 (Tuesday) | |
| Phase-IV | 29.04.2019 (Monday) | 10-Baharampur, 12-Krishnanagar, 13-Ranaghat(SC), 38-Bardhaman Purba(SC), 39-Bardhaman-Durgapur, 40-Asansol, 41-Bolpur(SC), 42-Birbhum. | 88-Krishnaganj(SC) | 29.04.2019 (Monday) |
| Phase-V | 06.05.2019 (Monday) | 14-Bangaon(SC), 15-Barrackpur, 25-Howrah, 26-Uluberia, 27-Sreerampur, 28-Hooghly, 29-Arambag(SC). | 176-Uluberia Purba | 06.05.2019 (Monday) |
| Phase-VI | 12.05.2019 (Sunday) | 30-Tamluk, 31-Kanthi, 32-Ghatal, 33-Jhargram(ST), 34-Medinipur, 35-Purulia, 36-Bankura, 37-Bishnupur(SC). | Vide Para-2 herein below. | |
| Phase-VII | 19.05.2019 (Sunday) | 16-Dum Dum, 17-Barasat, 18-Basirhat, 19- Jaynagar(SC), 20-Mathurapur(SC), 21- Diamond Harbour, 22-Jadavpur, 23-Kolkata Dakshin, 24-Kolkata Uttar. | Vide Para-2 herein below. |
All Government offices, Organizations under it, Undertakings, Corporations, Boards, Statutory and Local Bodies, Educational Institutions etc. situated within the Parliamentary Constituency as well as the Assembly Constituency will remain closed on the respective dates so that every employee is able to exercise his/ her right to franchise in the election.
2. Since the dates of poll on 12th May, 2019 and 19th May, 2019 fall on Sunday, which are public holiday under the N. I. Act, 1881, separate order declaring the said dates as holiday for State Government offices, Undertakings, Corporation, Boards, Statutory and Local Bodies, Educational Institutions etc. under the control of the State Government situated within the concerned Parliamentary Constituencies/ Polling areas is not necessary.
3. Labour Department will issue suitable instructions to shops, commercial and industrial establishments including Tea Gardens to declare the said dates for the concerned Parliamentary Constituency and Assembly Constituency as paid holiday for the workers to enable them to exercise their franchise in the election.
4. In case of an employee working outside his concerned Parliamentary Constituency and/ or Assembly Constituency and when the date of Poll has not been declared as holiday in his place of work as tabled in Para-1 above, he/ she shall be permitted to cast his/ her vote by way of allowing special leave on that date.
5. In case of re-poll, the employees/ workers shall be allowed to cast their votes on the date of re-poll also in the manner as in Para-4 above.
6. The days before the respective dates of poll being the dates of dispatch shall be declared as local holiday for the Educational institutions/ Government offices etc., which will be used as Polling Stations/ Sector Office/ Distribution-cum-Receiving Centre or for any other election related purpose, situated within the respective Parliamentary Constituency/ Assembly Constituency except the days on 28.04.2019 and 05.05.2019 as the same being Sunday are the public holidays under N. I. Act, 1881.
7. If the poll process continues upto late hours on the poll date(s) as stated in the TABLE in Para-1 herein before, the polling parties may obtain their release from their Reception Centres in the small hours of the morning (or even afterwards) of the said poll dates [i.e., as in Col. (2) of the TABLE in Para-1 overleaf] finding it difficult for them to attend office in time. In consideration of the situation, special leave may be allowed on the following day of the poll date scheduled in Col. (2) of the TABLE in Para-1 overleaf to such employees who will be deployed for polling duties.
Sd/- D. K. Mahapatra
OSD & E.O. Special Secretary
to the Government of West Bengal