In a significant move to ensure the integrity of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a stringent directive regarding the involvement of civic volunteers. The Commission has categorically banned the deployment of civic volunteers for any election-related duties, particularly within or near polling stations. This order comes as part of the ECI’s broader strategy to conduct “violence-free” and transparent elections in the state.

According to the official guidelines, civic volunteers, who are contractual staff under the State Police, must not be stationed within a 100-meter radius of any polling booth. The ECI emphasized that only Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and regular State Police personnel are authorized to handle security and law enforcement tasks during the voting process. This decision addresses long-standing concerns and complaints from various political quarters regarding the potential misuse of civic volunteers during the electoral process.

The Commission has instructed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and senior police officials to strictly monitor the ground reality. Any violation of this directive will be viewed as a serious breach of the Model Code of Conduct, with accountability falling on the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police. Instead of civic volunteers, the ECI has suggested utilizing Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and other designated government staff for non-security tasks like queue management. With the state set to vote in two phases on April 23 and 29, this move is seen as a crucial step in building voter confidence and maintaining a level playing field for all political parties.