Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal, the Centre has approved a massive deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), significantly scaling up security arrangements across the West Bengal. While 480 companies had already been sanctioned earlier, an additional 1,920 companies are now being deployed, taking the total to an unprecedented level of 2,400 companies. In 2024 general elections, a total of 1050 companies of CAPF were deployed across the state.
According to an urgent communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the enhanced deployment is being carried out at the request of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections.
The forces — drawn from multiple regions including Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh — will arrive in phases. As per the schedule, 300 companies are set to reach by March 31, followed by further deployments on April 7, April 10, April 13, and April 17. The phased induction includes 300 companies each on April 7 and April 10, 277 on April 13, and 743 on April 17, cumulatively accounting for the additional 1,920 companies.
The CAPF contingent will include personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
These forces will be tasked with a wide range of responsibilities, including securing polling stations, safeguarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and strongrooms, protecting counting centres, and preventing any unauthorized occupation of sensitive areas during the election period.
Officials indicated that central forces will be deployed well in advance of polling to sanitise and secure polling booths, ensuring that all locations are safe before election personnel arrive.
In a significant step to enhance transparency, the Election Commission is also implementing live-streaming measures. Surveillance will cover checkpoint operations as well as areas outside polling booths, marking a broader monitoring approach.
Notably, the Commission has expanded the criteria for ordering re-polls. This time, not only disturbances inside polling booths but also incidents of intimidation or violence in surrounding “catchment areas” will be taken into account. If such irregularities are detected, authorities may order re-polling even if the voting process within booths remains unaffected.
The decision to scale up deployment follows a recent assessment by the Election Commission, which highlighted the need for additional forces beyond the initially sanctioned 480 companies.
With heightened security measures, expanded surveillance, and stricter monitoring norms, administrative officials believe that the upcoming elections in West Bengal will witness one of the most extensive security arrangements in the state’s electoral history.
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