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In Bengal, ECI orders tourists to leave Digha, Mandarmani coastal resorts
Hotels were also ordered to ensure that their rooms were not occupied by any person who is not a resident of the district, with effect from 6pm on Tuesday
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 Bengal’s chief electoral officer also directs hotels to ensure that their rooms are not occupied by any person who is not a resident of the district, with effect from 6pm on Tuesday till the conclusion of polling on April 23.
The coastal belt of Purba Medinipur draws tourists year-round and is among the most visited destinations in West Bengal. The commission’s order effectively shuts down tourist activity across this entire stretch for a 48-hour window, an unusually wide enforcement perimeter that extends beyond the immediate polling infrastructure into the hospitality sector.
The poll body’s unprecedented order also explicitly barred political party campaigners from staying in the area during this period. It said that violations will be treated as punishable offences under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which prescribes a jail term ranging from 6 to 12 months for disobeying an order issued by a public servant.
Following the poll body’s official order, police stations covering Digha, Digha Mohana, and the Mandarmani coastline have been making public announcements via loudspeaker from Monday night, asking tourists to leave these destinations by Tuesday, 6pm. Hotels have also been told not to have outsiders on the premises.
All the tourist destinations covered under this order fall within the Ramnagar assembly constituency, which was represented by three-time Trinamool Congress legislator Akhil Giri in the outgoing assembly.
A senior official in the CEO’s office said “the rationale behind asking even genuine tourists to leave is the apprehension that outsiders with intent to cause disturbance could enter the district under the cover of tourism and incite unrest during polling.”
The tourist eviction order is first of its kind issued by the ECI during an assembly election cycle.
Officials also claimed that similar restrictions could be extended to other coastal or tourist areas in subsequent phases “if the security situation warrants it”.
What, however, makes the order particularly notable is its context — both West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, which go to polls simultaneously on April 23, have significant coastlines.
The order is part of a broader enforcement sweep by the ECI ahead of Phase 1, which covers 152 constituencies across north Bengal and several districts of south Bengal.
The ECI has also suspended three executive magistrates posted with the flying squad in Bhabanipur, where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is pitted against 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 posture across the state, with eight districts placed under special surveillance ahead of Phase 1.
The three officials suspended are Suranjan Das, Satyaranjan Pal, and Souvik Nandi, all of whom were serving as executive magistrates with the Flying Squad assigned to Bhabanipur.
According to an official notification by 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 surveillance and enforcement, the three officials were found sitting idle outside the Bhabanipur police station without any operational justification.
The alleged lapse came to light during a surprise visit by an expenditure observer — an officer tasked with monitoring income and expenditure during the election period — who flagged the dereliction. A formal complaint was thereafter filed with the commission, following which the suspension order was issued
