India’s political landscape has entered election mode as the Election Commission announced the schedule for Assembly elections in five states. According to the official announcement, West Bengal will go to the polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while the counting of votes will take place on May 4. In the first phase, voting will be held in 152 constituencies, and in the second phase 142 constituencies will go to polls, covering all 294 Assembly seats in the state. The announcement has intensified political activity across the state, with parties gearing up for a high-stakes electoral contest.
As per the Election Commission’s data, West Bengal currently has around 64.4 million voters. Among them, 32.8 million are male voters, 31.6 million are female voters, and 1,152 voters belong to the third gender category. The state has also witnessed a significant rise in young voters, with 523,000 new voters aged 18–19 and nearly 13.1 million voters aged between 20 and 29.
Across the five states and one Union Territory going to polls, the total number of voters stands at 174 million. In total, elections will be conducted across 824 Assembly constituencies.
Poll Dates Across States
The Election Commission announced that Assam and Kerala will hold voting in a single phase on April 9. The Union Territory of Puducherry will also vote on April 9. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 23 in a single phase. West Bengal remains the only state among them where elections will be conducted in two phases — April 23 and April 29.
Massive Election Machinery Deployed
The Election Commission is putting in place a massive administrative and security arrangement to conduct the elections smoothly. Around 1.5 million polling personnel will be deployed for the election process, along with nearly 850,000 security personnel.
To ensure transparency and proper monitoring, the Commission will appoint 1,444 observers, nearly 49,000 micro-observers, and 21,000 sector officers. For the counting process, approximately 40,000 counting staff will be deployed, along with an additional 15,000 micro-observers overseeing the counting centres.
Mobile Phones Banned Inside Polling Booths
Ahead of the elections, the Election Commission also issued an important directive stating that voters will not be allowed to carry mobile phones inside polling booths. The move aims to maintain secrecy of the ballot and prevent any form of electoral malpractice.
EC Clarifies on Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
Responding to questions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that the objective of the exercise was to ensure no eligible voter is left out while preventing the inclusion of ineligible voters in the electoral roll.
By-Elections in Eight Assembly Seats
Alongside the Assembly elections, the Election Commission has also announced by-elections for eight Assembly seats across several states. These include one seat each in Gujarat, Goa, Tripura, and Nagaland, and two seats each in Karnataka and Maharashtra.
By-polls in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, and Tripura will be held on April 9, while Gujarat and Maharashtra will vote on April 23. The counting of votes for all eight seats will also take place on May 4.
With the poll schedule now announced, political parties across the country have intensified preparations for the upcoming elections. The focus now shifts to April’s voting phases and the decisive counting day on May 4, which could significantly shape the political landscape.
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