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After the Opposition parties in West Bengal urged the Election Commission of India to hold the forthcoming Assembly polls in fewer polling phases, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday said the polling phase in the elections would be dependent on the law and order preparedness of the “state machinery”.
“We had interactions with all the national and state level political parties, and they have offered their suggestions with regards to how many phases the election should be conducted. The Election Commission will be going back to Delhi, and we will take a decision after taking into account all the factors which have emanated during the review meet,” Kumar told a media conference in Kolkata, after concluding a high-level review of poll preparedness in West Bengal.
He said in how many phases the election should be done in Bengal would be dependent on the law and order preparedness of the state machinery.
Notably, the BJP and the CPI(M) on Monday urged the Election Commission to conduct the Assembly polls in fewer polling phases. The saffron party demanded that the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections be conducted in not more than three phases.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the State, the process was conducted in seven phases, while during the 2021 Assembly polls, the process took place in eight phases.
Kumar said the Election Commission has “zero tolerance” for violence and voter intimidation. Persons, including political figures, who engage in such acts against voters or election staff will face strict action.
“Our aim is to ensure free, fair and peaceful polls in Bengal,” he said, adding every eligible voter will have the opportunity to cast their vote.
Amid the ongoing uproar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State, the Chief Election Commissioner said the SIR is to ensure that “electoral rolls are pure”, and only electors who are entitled to vote as per Article 326 of the Constitution of India find their name in the electoral rolls. “Eligibility conditions as per Article 326 are above 18 years, citizenship of India, and you should be an ordinary resident in the polling station nearby,” he said.
The ruling Trinamool Congress in the State has alleged that the SIR exercise conducted by the Election Commission had been marked by procedural violations, technical failures, and arbitrary decisions that threatened the integrity of the electoral process.
Sit-in to protest
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who began a sit-in to protest from last Friday against the alleged arbitrary deletion of voters from the post-SIR electoral rolls, accused the BJP and the Election Commission of conspiring to “disenfranchise” Bengali voters ahead of the Assembly elections.
To a set of questions on the allegations against the Election Commission, Kumar said, “With regards to statements of certain political leaders, it may not be appropriate for the Election Commission to comment. India is a free democratic country, and every political leader has a right to say what he deems fit.”
Notably, West Bengal’s final electoral roll after the SIR saw a net deletion of over 61.78 lakh voters and over 60.06 lakh names was under adjudication as on February 28, 2026. The poll body said “doubtful and pending cases” have been marked under adjudication in the electoral rolls. Names approved by judicial officers will be added by way of supplementary list.
“With regards to names under adjudication, the process is being progressed as per the directions of the honorable Supreme Court and under the honorable Chief Justice of West Bengal. Additional officers have already been appointed, and the learned judicial officers are taking decisions on the eligibility of electors in line with Article 326,” Kumar pointed out.
Refuting claims that "logical discrepancies" have been brought in only for West Bengal, he said, "These were pointed out in all the 12 States, similar to the way it was done in West Bengal."
Published on March 10, 2026
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