Kolkata, 2 December (H.S.):

Approximately 15,000 additional polling stations will be set up in West Bengal for the 2026 Assembly elections. According to sources in the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office, most of these polling stations will be located within private housing complexes.

Sources said that during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, there were a total of 80,681 polling booths in the state. This number will increase to 95,668 for the 2026 Assembly elections. This means that 14,987 new polling stations will be added in the state next year.

In view of this increase, the Election Commission has issued instructions to District Magistrates (also known as District Election Officers) to identify large housing complexes where high-rise towers are located and where polling stations can be set up.

An official from the CEO's office said, Given these instructions, it is believed that a large portion of the 14,987 additional booths will be located within such housing complexes. Most of these booths will be located in Kolkata and other major district towns, where such high-rise housing complexes are abundant.

The Election Commission has recognized that, given the growing population and urbanization, setting up booths within housing complexes would be a wise move for voter convenience and crowd management.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey