6000 centenarian voters 5.23 lakh new electors eligible to vote in upcoming Bengal polls CEC

PTI, March 10, 2026, Kolkata :  Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Tuesday that over 6,000 centenarian voters and 5.23 lakh new electors in the age group of 18-19 years will be eligible to vote in the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal.

Kumar also said that approximately 1.31 crore voters in the state are between 20 and 30 years old.

“There are more than 6,000 voters in the state who have crossed the age of 100 years. On the other hand, 5.23 lakh new voters are in the 18-to-19-year age band,” the CEC said.

He was addressing a press conference here after the commission’s full bench held a series of meetings with political parties and senior administrative officials to review West Bengal’s poll preparedness. The elections are likely to be held in April.

"The inclusive nature of elections to be conducted by the Election Commission of India in West Bengal will focus on the youth," the CEC said.

To increase youth participation in the election process, dedicated assistant electoral registration officers will be deployed in every assembly constituency area, he said.

These officers will also campaign in colleges to encourage participation of young people in the elections, the CEC said.

Kumar said that around 3,78,000 voters, who are over 85 years old, will have the option of exercising their franchise at their homes.

Out of 294 assembly constituencies in West Bengal, 210 are general, 68 reserved for scheduled caste, and 16 are for scheduled tribes, the EC chief said.

He said that in 12 states of India, and prior to that in Bihar, revision exercise of voter list has been nearly completed for approximately 60 crore voters.

Stating that the only purpose of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was to ensure "pure electoral rolls", which is a bedrock of democracy, he said, "This is to ensure that no eligible voter is left out of the voter list, but no ineligible person gets included."

Stating that there are more than 80,000 polling stations in West Bengal, he said that of these, 61,000 are in the rural areas.

He said that 100 per cent webcasting will be done in all polling stations, which will be strictly monitored by officials of the EC.

Kumar said that more than 8,000 polling stations will be managed by women, and 600 of these will be designated as model polling stations.

The CEC said that all polling stations will be on the ground floor to ensure hassle-free voting for the elderly and the physically challenged.

He said that polling stations will also have ramps with the proper gradient and wheelchairs, adding that physically challenged voters will have the facility of priority voting.

Kumar said that to ensure transparency, 100 per cent webcasting of all booths will be done, and the presiding officers will upload the voting percentage in ECINET every two hours.

CEC said that a mobile phone depositing facility will be provided outside polling stations, so that voters can deposit their phones before entering the polling station and take them back after casting their votes.

"The EVMs will have colour photographs of all candidates so that the voters do not have any problem in selecting their preferred candidate," he said.

He said that to avoid crowding, each polling station will have no more than 1,200 voters, adding that candidates can set up their respective booths at least 100 metres away from the polling stations.

"Our booth-level officers (BLOs) will deliver voter information slips to each voter at their homes, clearly mentioning the identity of their polling booth," Kumar said, adding that these will also act as an invitation to the voters to exercise their franchise.

The CEC said that all details related to the elections will be available in the ECINET App, which can be downloaded on mobile phones.

"Earlier, there were around 40 different applications of the ECI, but now everything will be available in the ECINET in an integrated manner," he said.