Discussion is growing over the announcement of dates for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The term of the current Assembly ends on May 7. So the entire voting process must be completed before that.
According to sources, Central forces are expected to arrive in the state before February 28. A deployment list has already been prepared. The forces are likely to begin work from March 1. However, the main question remains: when will the Election Commission announce the poll schedule?
Commission visit and pending meetings
A delegation of the Election Commission was scheduled to visit West Bengal on March 1. That visit has now been postponed. Sources say the state requested that the team come a few days later.
After this meeting, the full bench of the Election Commission is expected to visit. Several rounds of meetings with the state administration will follow. Until these discussions are completed, infrastructure preparations for the polls cannot begin.
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Voter list process and possible timeline
The final voter list will be published on February 28. After that, a supplementary list will also be issued. If a voter finds that their name is missing from the final list, they can apply to the District Election Officer (DEO) within five days.
If the issue is not resolved, the voter can approach the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state within the next five days. Only after these steps are completed can the election dates be formally announced.
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Sources indicate the entire process may take another three to four weeks. If that timeline holds, the election schedule could be announced by the third week of March.
Once the dates are declared, about a month is usually required for the polling process. In that case, voting may take place in the third week of April, ensuring completion before May 7.
