Why will voting be held in Bengal in 2 phases instead of 8? Election Commission gave the reason
The Election Commission of India has announced assembly elections in five states including West Bengal on Sunday, March 15. This time the Commission has made a major change in the Bengal Assembly elections.
While in 2021, voting was held in 8 phases for 294 seats in West Bengal, this time it has been reduced to just two phases. The first phase of voting in Bengal will be held on 23 April and the second phase on 29 April.
Announcing the dates, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar made it clear that along with Bengal, the election results of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will also be declared on May 4.
This huge reduction in the number of phases in Bengal is being seen as a major improvement in terms of administrative and security management. The Commission believes that this will not only speed up the election process but will also ease the management of security forces.
Also read: ‘Kanshi Ram gets Bharat Ratna’, Rahul Gandhi writes letter to PM Modi
What is the Commission’s logic behind reducing the steps?
During the press conference, when the Chief Election Commissioner was asked about reducing the phases from 8 to 2, he said that this decision has been taken after much thought and discussion.
“The Commission held detailed deliberations and found that reducing the phases would be convenient for all parties,” he said. The objective of the Commission is to conduct the elections in less time and in a more organized manner, so that the general public and the personnel engaged in election duty can get relief from the lengthy process.
Also read: ‘Forgive everyone, apologize to everyone, go now’, Harish was brought to Delhi AIIMS.
west bengal 2026 election full schedule
| election related program | First phase (152 seats) | Second phase (142 seats) |
|---|---|---|
| Gazette notification issued | 30 March 2026 (Monday) | 2 April 2026 (Thursday) |
| last date of nomination | 6 April 2026 (Monday) | 9 April 2026 (Thursday) |
| scrutiny of nomination papers | 7 April 2026 (Tuesday) | 10 April 2026 (Friday) |
| Last date for withdrawal of nomination | 9 April 2026 (Thursday) | 13 April 2026 (Monday) |
| voting date | 23 April 2026 (Thursday) | 29 April 2026 (Wednesday) |
| counting | 4 May 2026 (Monday) | 4 May 2026 (Monday) |
| Last date for completion of election process | 6 May 2026 (Wednesday) | 6 May 2026 (Wednesday) |
Also read: Assembly election dates announced for 5 states, results will come on May 4
Election schedule of five states
Apart from Bengal, the Commission has also cleared the dates for other states. Voting in all other states except Bengal will be held in a single day.
- Assam, Kerala and Puducherry: Voting will be held here in a single phase on April 9.
- Tamil Nadu: Voting for 234 seats will be held on April 23.
- West Bengal:Voting for 294 seats will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29.
A total of 2.18 lakh polling stations will be built in all the states, so that voters can exercise their franchise without any hindrance.
Comments are closed.