The poll panel unveiled the election schedule for five assemblies — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry — but Bengal will be the only state where voting will take place in more than one phase.
Also Read: Election dates 2026: EC announces poll dates for five assemblies; West Bengal in two phases
West Bengal, which has a 294-member legislative assembly, will see voting across the state in two rounds, while the remaining states and the Union Territory will vote in a single phase.
“With regards to West Bengal, elections to be held in two phases instead of eight phases. Earlier, the commission has held detailed deliberations, and in its considered opinion it was found necessary to reduce the number of phases and bring it down to an extent where it is convenient for everybody,” the EC said.
Also Read: Tamil Nadu Election Date 2026: EC announces poll schedule, voting on April 23; results on May 4
Key Dates
- Phase 1: April 23, 2026
- Phase 2: April 29, 2026
- Counting of votes: May 4, 2026
The current assembly’s term is scheduled to end on May 7, 2026.
Voters and Demographics
According to the Election Commission’s data, over a crore young voters will be part of the electoral exercise in the state.
- Centenarian voters: ~6,653
- Voters aged 85+: ~3.79 lakh
- Persons with Disabilities (PwD): ~4.16 lakh
- First-time voters (18–19 years): ~5.23 lakh
- Electors aged 20–29: ~1.31 crore
- Service electors: ~1.08 lakh
Polling Arrangements
A total of 80,719 polling stations will be set up across West Bengal.
- Urban booths: 19,708
- Rural booths: 61,011
- Women-managed polling stations: 10,361
- Model polling stations: 634
The Commission said webcasting will be carried out at all polling stations as part of efforts to enhance transparency and monitoring.
EC Preparations
Chief Election Commissioner and officials said the poll body had visited all poll-bound states in recent weeks to review preparedness. The Commission met political parties, district election officers, enforcement agencies and administrative officials and also interacted with booth level officers (BLOs) involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The SIR exercise was carried out to ensure “pure electoral rolls so that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible voter remains,” the Commission said.
Larger Electoral Exercise
Across the five states and the Union Territory going to the polls, around 17.4 crore voters are expected to participate in the elections. The Commission said over 20 countries are likely to send delegations to observe the electoral process in India.
Calling elections in the country a “festival of democracy,” the poll body reiterated its commitment to conduct free, fair, transparent, accessible and peaceful polls.
West Bengal elections have historically drawn intense political attention, and the state has often witnessed episodes of electoral violence during previous polling cycles, making security arrangements a key focus for the authorities during the voting period.
