Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Sunday announced that the assembly polls in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29 — unlike the eight-phase polling conducted in 2021.While announcing the poll schedule of 4 states and one Union territory, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that the reduction of phases were found necessary to make elections convenient to everybody.“With regards to the 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,” Kumar said.The Chief Election Commissioner also addressed the concerns over poll violence and said that necessary action shall be taken on police offers who were found to be involved in earlier polls.“With regards to the police officers who were involved in the violence in earlier elections, the list has been sought, as is known to the media during our visit to West Bengal, and necessary action as per law shall be taken. With regards to the supplementary list, as per the orders of the Supreme Court, the learned judges working under the directions of the High Court of Calcutta would be bringing out this supplementary list and as and when the supplementary list of names is coming out, they shall be included in addition to the existing electors,” he added.The EC announced election dates for the four poll-bound states — Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal — and Puducherry, a Union territory, on Sunday. Track all updates from the Election Commission press conference here.The counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections 2026 will take place on May 4, along with that of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party and TMC hailed the poll body’s decision to hold a two-phase poll in West Bengal.In a post on X, BJP West Bengal said voters will cast their ballots in two phases on April 23 and April 29.“This is not merely an election, it is a civilisational battle. The countdown to the end of Maha Jungle Raj has begun,” it added.Referring to the counting date of May 4, the BJP said, “Fifty days to go — May 4 will mark a new dawn for Bengal.”Responding to the poll announcement, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said the people of the state are firmly behind the ruling party.“People of Bengal are with TMC. This was again shown in the massive turnout of youth in Yuva Sathi camps held by the Mamata Banerjee government,” he added.In the 2021 Bengal elections, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress secured 215 seats, while Bharatiya Janata Party became the official opposition with 77 seats.
