WB polling staff cry foul over food packets at training centre

With assembly polls fast approaching West Bengal, training programme for election officials is now underway in the state. 

At the end of the 6-hour training, the polling staff hoped to get a full course meal at lunch. 

However, things took a different turn. 

The staff was given small food packets which contained a banana, a slice of cake, and an egg.

The polling staff who came to take the training got furious upon seeing the small food packets. 

This video was taken on Tuesday (February 23) in Malda district of West Bengal. 

More than 600 polling staff are being trained at Malda Akramani School. 

Everyone was agitated upon seeing the small food packets. A similar situation was witnessed at Siddheswari Institution in Chanchal area of Malda. 

The polling staff had an argument with the trainers. The officials of the election training programme claimed that the notice for allotment of food for Rs 170 rupees came on Monday (February 22) afternoon. It was impossible for them to arrange food in the allotted time, they said. 

The officials also claimed that the Election Commission had not allocated any money for the tiffin of the polling staff on Tuesday. The local district administration organized the tiffin for the staff. 

The officials said that training was going on in so many rooms in the school, but only the staff from one room have created the chaos.