Kolkata, 04 May (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal on Monday said the Election Commission has “created history” by conducting the 2026 Assembly polls in the state in a peaceful and successful manner.

Agarwal said the voting process, held in two phases, was completed smoothly with stringent security arrangements in place across the state.

He said central forces were deployed at all polling stations, CCTV surveillance was ensured, and additional security measures were put in place in sensitive areas, which helped in conducting free and fair polling.

“The entire exercise was carried out in coordination with the Election Commission teams, district administration, police and other agencies. Continuous monitoring was done at every level, and any irregularities were promptly addressed,” he said.

Agarwal also thanked the voters for their participation, noting that a large turnout, especially among youth and women, strengthened the democratic process.

On counting, he said the process was underway peacefully at all centres with adequate security arrangements in place. He assured that the counting would be conducted in a transparent manner.

“The primary objective of the Election Commission is to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections, and this has been fully achieved in West Bengal this time,” he added.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey