Election Commission calls two-day emergency meet ahead of Bengal polls
Telegraph | 1 March 2026
The Election Commission on Sunday called a two-day emergency meeting from March 2 to review preparations for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, with political circles closely watching for clues on the poll schedule.
The meetings will be held in phases, with the focus on security arrangements and coordination between administrative and enforcement agencies, an official said.
"On Monday, discussions will begin at 11 am. In the first phase, the commission will meet commissioners, inspector generals, deputy inspector generals, district election officers and SPs. A second round of meetings will follow with senior police officers, primarily to review law and order and security deployment," he said.
Sources said nearly 240 companies of central armed police forces have already reached the state and route marches have begun. The current deployment and further security planning are expected to be reviewed during the meetings.
On Tuesday, the commission will meet the chief electoral officer of the state and senior officials of central enforcement agencies, including the Income Tax Department, Narcotics Control Bureau, Reserve Bank of India and the Enforcement Directorate.
Nodal officers of the state police will also be present. "The commission will take stock of preparedness at every level and fine-tune the security and enforcement framework before the announcement of polls," another senior official said.
The meetings come after a scheduled visit by an Election Commission delegation was put off.
A team led by the deputy election commissioner, with around eight officials, was to visit West Bengal on Sunday and Monday to meet district election officers and police superintendents.
The visit was deferred following a request from the state secretariat, Nabanna.