Election Commission Schedules West Bengal Voting: April 23 and April 29

Kolkata / New Delhi, March 15 — The Election Commission of India on Sunday released the official schedule for the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections: polling will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, and vote counting for all states will take place on May 4, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said.

Phase-wise timetable and key dates

The poll panel has split the state’s 294 seats between two phases: 152 constituencies will vote in Phase I on 23 April, while the remaining 142 constituencies will go to the polls in Phase II on 29 April. The commission said the Model Code of Conduct is now in force.

Officials also released constituency-level administrative dates. According to the schedule published alongside the announcement:

• Phase I (152 seats) — Notification: 30 March; Last date for nominations: 6 April; Scrutiny: 7 April; Last date for withdrawal: 9 April; Polling: 23 April.
• Phase II (142 seats) — Notification: 2 April; Last date for nominations: 9 April; Scrutiny: 10 April; Last date for withdrawal: 13 April; Polling: 29 April.
  Vote counting for both phases will be on 4 May and the election process is expected to complete by 6 May.

What officials said

At the press briefing, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said the poll body has planned extensive deployment of central security forces and is using webcasting at polling stations to enhance transparency. He urged voters to exercise their franchise.

Political outlook and significance

The two-phase schedule represents a marked change from the last assembly polls in 2021, which ran over eight phases. The shorter schedule reduces the polling window but still requires significant logistics and security planning across the state. Political parties — led by the Trinamool Congress under Mamata Banerjee and the BJP as principal challenger — are expected to sharply intensify campaigning now that the dates are formal.

Administrative preparations

Election officials have begun updating rolls and identifying sensitive polling stations. The Commission said webcasting would be carried out at polling stations and that postal ballots and service votes will be managed per statutory rules.

What to watch next

Nomination filings will open as per the notification dates; parties will finalise candidates in the coming days and campaign activity is likely to escalate until the Model Code of Conduct restrictions tighten. Observers will watch turnout among first-time and young voters and whether the two-phase plan affects law-and-order challenges compared with 2021.