West Bengal to Set Up 14,000 New Polling Booths for Assembly Elections

Rapid Summary

• Teh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal held a meeting with representatives of major political parties on August 29, 2025.
• Discussions were about the rearrangement of polling booths: each booth will now have 1,200 voters instead of 1,500. This change adds approximately 14,000 new polling booths in the state.
• Political parties can submit objections or complaints about this new arrangement until September 8, 2025.
• Trinamool Congress leader Aroop Biswas expressed no objections but demanded that additional booths remain within the same station to avoid inconvenience to voters.He reiterated opposition to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) processes in West Bengal and denied any such agenda in this meeting.
• BJP representative Shishir bajoria raised concerns about District Election Officers’ claims that there were no party objections regarding polling booth arrangements and alleged irregularities in Booth Level Officers’ (BLOs) appointments from Trinamool Congress office recommendations.
• Congress participants displayed “No Political SIR” placards at the meeting while CPI(M)’s Samik Lahiri also engaged as their party’s representative.
• With these changes, total polling booths might increase from approximately 80,661 to over 94,497 ahead of Legislative Assembly elections scheduled for 2026.

Indian Opinion Analysis

the proposed rearrangement and addition of polling booths reflect a logistical effort to streamline the voting process by reducing voter concentration per booth-a move aimed at promoting smoother election management. However, such expansion presents unique challenges for all political parties who must deploy increased resources for poll management across these additional locations.While some ruling and Opposition leaders voiced procedural concerns-such as proximity restrictions for additional booths-the general lack of universal opposition indicates cautious acceptance by stakeholders pending evaluation or feedback submission deadlines.Allegations regarding BLO appointments highlight existing mistrust among political actors which could possibly cloud public perception around electoral neutrality.

as West Bengal’s assembly elections loom large in early 2026 amid an already politically charged atmosphere following prior tensions between key players like Trinamool Congress and BJP-the rearrangements’ success may set benchmarks not just operationally but also contribute meaningfully towards bolstering democratic trust when executed with fairness across all segments involved.

Read more: The Hindu