After the conclusion of the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India has relieved the special poll observer, Subrata Gupta, and the special police observer, N.K. Mishra, from their duties, except for Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district. The elections in 2026 were notable for their peaceful conduct, a departure from the state’s history of electoral violence and a record-breaking voter turnout. The Commission recognized the pivotal roles played by three officials, including Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Subrata Gupta, and N.K. Mishra, in ensuring the success of the elections.
The Election Commission also lifted the Model Code of Conduct for West Bengal, except for the Falta Assembly constituency, where re-polling is scheduled for May 21, with results to be declared on May 24. The counting of votes on May 4 covered 293 of the 294 Assembly constituencies, with Falta being the exception. Following complaints of electoral malpractices, the Election Commission decided to conduct re-polling for the entire Falta constituency, which had voted in the second phase on April 29.
In another development, former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam, who chaired an Appellate Tribunal overseeing cases of voters affected by the deletion of names during the special intensive revision in West Bengal, has resigned. Justice Sivagnanam, also leading a panel of retired judges monitoring the Tribunal’s operations, cited personal reasons for his resignation.
