"100% webcasting, all booth on ground floor": CEC assures fair and safe elections

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday said the Election Commission is committed to ensuring that the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections are conducted in a violence-free and intimidation-free environment. Speaking at a press conference in Kolkata on poll preparedness, Kumar said the Commission’s primary objective is to maximise voter participation while safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.

The CEC said law enforcement agencies in the state have been instructed to strictly enforce the rule of law without fear or favour during the election period. He emphasised that authorities must also ensure that cash, liquor, narcotics and other contraband do not enter the state during the polls, as such activities could influence the democratic process.

Highlighting Bengal’s strong electoral participation, Kumar said democracy runs deep in the state and voter turnout has historically remained high. He appealed to voters to help ensure peaceful elections and introduced the Bengali slogan “Chunao porbo, Pashchim Bongo’r gorbo,” describing the election period as a matter of pride for the state.

Speaking on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Kumar assured that no eligible voter would be removed from the list. He said the recently released final electoral roll contains 7.08 crore names, and after excluding cases under adjudication, 6,44,52,609 voters are currently listed as eligible. However, he did not announce a date for the Assembly elections, whose current term ends on May 7, 2026.