Civic polls in Bengal on April 18

Elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will be held on April 18 followed by elections to 92 other civic bodies across West Bengal on April 25, state's Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim said here today.

"We have received a proposal in this regard from the State Election Commission (SEC) recommending these two dates for the forthcoming civic polls in the state and we have given our consent to the SEC," Hakim told reporters at the Writers' Building here.

While notification for the KMC polls would be issued on March 18, the same would be issued for polls in other 92 civic bodies on March 25, a month ahead in both cases, he said.

Stating the process of conducting civic polls in the state was in full swing, state Election Commissioner S R Upadhyay today said notifications would be issued simultaneously both by the state government and the SEC as per provisions in Section 36(3) of the West Bengal Municipal Election Act 1994.