Live Events
Key Dates
Phase 1: April 23, 2026
Phase 2: April 29, 2026
Counting of votes: May 4, 2026
Voters and Demographics
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
Urban booths: 19,708
Rural booths: 61,011
Women-managed polling stations: 10,361
Model polling stations: 634
EC Preparations
Larger Electoral Exercise
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Election Commission of India on Sunday announced that West Bengal will go to the polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4, 2026.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.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.The current assembly’s term is scheduled to end on May 7, 2026.According to the Election Commission’s data, over a crore young voters will be part of the electoral exercise in the state.A total of 80,719 polling stations will be set up across West Bengal.The Commission said webcasting will be carried out at all polling stations as part of efforts to enhance transparency and monitoring.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.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.