ECI plans West Bengal visit ahead of 2026 Assembly elections

The Election Commission of India is likely to visit West Bengal on March 9 to review election preparedness. The panel will assess security arrangements, voter roll issues and coordination with central agencies ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections

Kolkata: The full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, is likely to visit West Bengal on March 9 to review the post-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) scenario in the state ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

According to sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, the full bench is scheduled to hold a review meeting in the state on March 10. If proceedings remain on schedule, the Commission is likely to announce the polling dates for the crucial Assembly elections next week.

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Meanwhile, the ECI’s scheduled virtual meeting with the State Nodal Police Officer (SNPO) and coordinating officers of various central security and investigating agencies has been postponed to March 5.

The central agencies whose coordinators are expected to attend the rescheduled meeting include the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

Apart from reviewing arrangements for pre-poll, poll-day and post-poll security in the state, the meeting is expected to deliberate on improving coordination between state and Central agencies for the effective deployment of CAPFs.

It will also discuss strengthening coordination among intelligence and enforcement agencies to curb the use of money, liquor and drugs during the elections, and to ensure security in areas close to international and inter-state borders.

On Monday, the ECI held a virtual meeting with CEO West Bengal Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Additional CEOs, Joint CEOs, Deputy CEOs, District Magistrates — who also serve as District Electoral Officers –and Superintendents of Police.

During the meeting, the Commission took stock of the situation following the publication of the final electoral roll on February 28 and reviewed preparedness for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Amid controversy over an alleged spelling error in the name of Supreme Court Justice Joymalya Bagchi in the final electoral roll, the Commission clarified on Monday that there had been no change in the spelling of the name and that the same entry had existed in the electoral roll from the beginning.

The Commission also maintained that no corrections or alterations were made to any names during the SIR exercise.

Earlier on Monday, former West Bengal Congress president and five-time Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to the CEC urging him to refrain from announcing the polling dates until completion of the ongoing judicial adjudication of voters’ documents placed under the “logical discrepancy” category.

These documents are currently being examined by judicial officers appointed by the Commission in accordance with directions of the Supreme Court.