Chief Electoral Officer briefs media on Preparedness for General Election to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, 2026

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

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Kolkata, March 16, 2026

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, in a press briefing in Kolkata today outlined the preparedness for the upcoming General Election to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly 2026. The briefing highlighted the scale of the electoral process, key voter statistics, and measures being undertaken to ensure smooth, inclusive and transparent polling across the State.

According to the CEO, the total number of registered voters in West Bengal stands at 6,44,52,609. Among them, 4,16,089 are persons with disabilities (PwD) and 3,78,979 voters are aged 85 years and above. The electoral roll also includes 5,23,229 young voters in the 18–19 age group, reflecting strong participation of first-time voters in the democratic process.

The CEO informed that over 60,06,675 cases related to electoral roll adjudication were received, of which approximately 20 lakh cases have been disposed of so far through a structured adjudication process conducted with judicial oversight.

For the smooth conduct of polling, a total of 80,719 polling stations have been established across West Bengal. Of these:

19,708 polling stations are located in urban areas

61,011 polling stations are located in rural areas

To promote greater participation and inclusivity, 10,361 polling stations will be managed entirely by women personnel, 74 polling stations by the PWD personnel, while 634 polling stations have been developed as model polling stations with enhanced voter facilities.

The Election Commission has ensured comprehensive arrangements at polling stations, including toilets, drinking water, ramps for accessibility, proper signage, adequate shade, lighting, help desks and voter facilitation centres, along with special assistance for elderly voters and pregnant women to create a comfortable and accessible voting environment.

The CEO highlighted several technological and logistical improvements introduced for the upcoming elections. The voter information slip has been upgraded and now includes a QR code, enabling voters to easily verify their polling details. The Election Commission will deliver these voter slips five days before polling.

A new integrated digital platform, ECINET App, has been introduced, consolidating over 40 Election Commission applications into a single platform to simplify voter services and election management.

Each polling booth will cater to approximately 1,200 voters, and as per election guidelines, political party camps must be located at least 100 metres away from polling stations.

Facilities such as mobile phone deposit centres will be available at polling stations, and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will feature clear candidate symbols and images to assist voters.

To maintain law and order and ensure free and fair polling, 480 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have already been deployed, with additional forces expected to arrive. The Commission has emphasised that strict action will be taken in case of any attempt to disrupt the electoral process.

The CEO stated that repolling will be conducted wherever necessary in cases of irregularities or doubtful polling.

A dedicated Observer Monitoring Cell has been established to track the movement and functioning of election observers in real time. Each Assembly constituency will be assigned a General Observer to oversee the conduct of elections.

Special provisions have been introduced for home voting for senior citizens aged 85 years and above and voters with 40% or more disability. Eligible voters can opt for this facility by submitting Form 12D within five days of notification.

The CEO also informed that supplementary electoral rolls will be published, enabling voters whose adjudication cases have been resolved to participate in the electoral process until the last date of nomination.

The Election Commission reiterated its commitment to conducting the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections 2026 in a free, fair, transparent and inclusive manner, ensuring maximum participation of voters across the State.

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MSA/PK/6.3.26

With regards