ECI Cracks Down on Illegal Political Ads in West Bengal Ahead of Assembly Polls

Kolkata, March 2026: The Election Commission of India has intensified its crackdown on unauthorised political advertisements across West Bengal in the run-up to the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled next month.

In an official statement issued on Sunday, the Commission revealed that a total of 3,58,986 illegal advertisements have been removed across the state so far. A significant majority of these—3,11,829 cases—were related to defacement of public property, while 19,901 involved unauthorised displays on private property.

Among the districts, Cooch Behar recorded the highest number of removals, with 33,491 cases. This included 29,474 instances of public property defacement and 4,017 cases involving private property. North 24 Parganas followed closely with 31,920 removals, most of which—31,789—were linked to public spaces, while 105 cases pertained to private property.

At the other end of the spectrum, Kalimpong reported the lowest number of such cases, with 593 removals, all of which were related to defacement of public property.

The Commission also announced that the first supplementary list of cases under the “logical discrepancy” category—those requiring judicial adjudication—will be published on Monday. Authorities are putting in place adequate security arrangements to ensure that the release of this list does not lead to any law and order disturbances.

The Assembly elections in West Bengal will be conducted in two phases, on April 23 and April 29. Voting will take place across 294 constituencies, with 152 going to polls in the first phase and the remaining 142 in the second.

Meanwhile, Ajay Nand, Commissioner of Kolkata Police, reiterated the administration’s commitment to ensuring free and fair elections. Following an inspection visit to the Bhangar Police Station, he made it clear that any incidents of booth jamming, vote rigging, or booth capturing would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Senior police officials across the state have been conducting inspections of police stations and reviewing preparedness in line with the Commission’s directives. During his interaction with police personnel, Nand stressed strict adherence to election guidelines and protocols.

Addressing the media later, he assured that the city’s police force is fully equipped to maintain peace during the elections. Security measures, including checkpoints, search operations, and coordinated patrolling with central forces, have already been intensified across sensitive areas.

With heightened vigilance and coordinated efforts between election authorities and law enforcement agencies, the focus remains on conducting peaceful, transparent, and credible elections in the state.