EC deploys highest number of observers for West Bengal elections
The Election Commission (EC) has deployed 1,111 observers, with the largest number in West Bengal, across five poll-bound States and ongoing by-elections, including general, police and expenditure observers. Among these, West Bengal alone accounts for the largest share of general observers (294 out of 557), which is more than 50 per cent of the total general observers deployed nationwide.
Besides, the poll body has stepped up administrative changes in election-bound States, by removing several district police chiefs in both Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu, including the transfer of 19 senior police officers, including two ADGs in Bengal, in another reshuffle on Tuesday with immediate effect. It has also decided to appoint former West Bengal Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena as a poll observer in Tamil Nadu.
According to a notification issued by the EC, the State will be covered by 474 observers, including 294 general observers — one for each assembly constituency — a distinction unmatched by any other poll-bound State this election season, 100 financial observers and 84 police observers.
In comparison, other major States fall significantly short of this one-to-one observer-to-constituency ratio. On the other hand, Assam that has 126 seats, has been assigned only 51 general observers, covering roughly 40 per cent of constituencies. Similarly, Kerala, with 140 seats, also has 51 general observers, which is just over 36 per cent coverage. Tamil Nadu, despite having 234 constituencies, has 136 general observers — around 58 per cent coverage.
As far as police observers are concerned, West Bengal again records one of the highest figures, with 84 officers deployed to oversee law and order arrangements during the polls. Though it does not have a 100 per cent mark seen in general observers, it remains substantially higher in absolute numbers compared to most other States. The poll body has deployed only 40 Police Observers in Tamil Nadu, followed by 35 in Assam and followed by only 17 in Kerala.
Election officials said the observers will act as the “eyes and ears” of the Commission on the ground, ensuring that polling is conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner.
All observers have been instructed to reach their assigned constituencies by March 18 and will hold daily grievance hearings with candidates, political parties, and the public. The scale of deployment in West Bengal is being seen as a direct response to past concerns over electoral malpractices and violence.
By assigning a dedicated general observer to each constituency, the Commission is attempting to create a robust monitoring mechanism that leaves little room for irregularities. With such unprecedented observer coverage, West Bengal stands out as the most closely monitored State in the 2026 Assembly elections, reflecting both its political significance and the Commission’s determination to ensure stringent electoral oversight.
The Commission has appointed 2012-batch IPS officer Pushpa as the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Barasat Police District. Meanwhile, 2013-batch IPS officer Ishani Paul has been appointed as SP of Diamond Harbour Police District, and 2013-batch officer Sachin has been made the SP of Murshidabad Police District.
The Commission has also appointed Jaspreet Singh as the SP of Coochbehar and 2017-batch IPS officer Kumar Sunny Raj as the SP of Hooghly Rural. 1997-batch IPS Officer Dr Rajesh Kumar Singh has been appointed as ADG South Bengal, while K Jayaraman has been appointed as ADG North Bengal.
The Commission has also posted 2003-batch IPS officer Dr Pranav Kumar as Police Commissioner of Asansol-Durgapur and 2005-batch IPS officer Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi as Police Commissioner of Howrah. 2009-batch IPS officer Amit Kumar Singh has been posted as Police Commissioner of Barrackpore, and IPS officer of the same batch, Sunil Kumar Yadav, has been appointed as Police Commissioner of Chandannagar. In Assam, the poll body has removed five district police chiefs.
The SSPs of Majuli, South Salmara, Sadiya, Chirang and Dhemaji have been transferred. The poll body has directed that the officers who have been moved should not be posted in any election-related duty. The Commission has also asked the Chief Secretary of Assam to submit a compliance report by tomorrow.
Along with these transfers, the EC has sought the names of IAS officers from the 2010 to 2021 batches for consideration for deployment as DEOs. The Chief Secretary has been asked to send the list of eligible officers to the Commission for review.
