Bengal Polls: Two Phases After 50 Years; EC Details Central Force Deployment

• West Bengal assembly elections to be held in two phases after 50 years; last time was in 1977.
• Election Commission estimates 2200-2500 companies of central forces required per phase for security.
• Two police observers assigned per police district/commissionerate; more for Kolkata and in case of unrest.
• Bhangar area alone has approximately 55 critical booths; further identification of critical booths is ongoing.
• Historically, Bengal elections shifted from single-phase to multiple phases (up to 8 in 2021) before returning to two phases.