On April 23 and 29, the Election Commission of India announced that voting for the Assembly elections in four states and a union territory would be held in West Bengal in two phases, counting of votes in West Bengal will occur on May 4.
Schedule for #WestBengalElections2026👇#Phase1
🗓️Date of Poll: 23-04-2026#Phase2
🗓️Date of Poll: 29-04-2026🗓️Date of Counting: 4-05-2026#ECI #WestBengalAssemblyElections pic.twitter.com/ayedu74xqk
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) March 15, 2026
Election Commission Holds Press Conference
At a 4:00 PM press conference, ahead of the scheduled voting dates, the Election Commission released details about when the elections would occur and other relevant information surrounding those elections. In West Bengal, which is one of India’s most politically significant states, there will be a very competitive election, as well as much anticipation for how many seats each major party will win.
Elections must be held prior to the expiration of the current legislative assembly in all Indian states; as a result, the Election Commission must announce the dates of the elections early enough so that they can be carried out in a timely manner, prior to the expiration of the term of each assembly in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry. While these assemblies will all expire at some point in May-June, the Election Commission must issue a timetable for when will voting take place.
Polls Needed Before Assembly Terms End
Before determining when to hold elections, the Commission had to carry out an extensive evaluation of the preparations on the ground. The Commission has already completed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Voter Lists for these states and published the final electoral rolls, though it is possible (if necessary) that supplementary rolls could be issued for West Bengal.
Last Tuesday, senior election officials returned to New Delhi after conducting a multi-state evaluation of preparations prior to the elections; and on Wednesday, the Chief Election Commissioner (Gyanesh Kumar) and two Election Commissioners (Sukhbir Singh Sandhu & Vivek Joshi) held a meeting in order to (1) evaluate the situation and (2) establish the schedule.
Election Officials Review Preparedness
According to a senior official, the purpose of the meeting was to review field reports submitted by state election machinery and central observer agencies to allow the Commission to make a decision concerning the polling phases.
As part of the overall National election review process, the Commission also conducted a two-day trip to West Bengal as the final leg of the field review. While in West Bengal, the Commissioners met with senior administrative officials, senior police officials, District Magistrates, and representatives from political parties to assess law enforcement and public order arrangements; logistics and other election preparations.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
