West bengal, December 15 : The Election Commission (EC) has appointed five nodal officers to oversee the first level checking (FLC) of electronic voting machines (EVMs) ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, marking the beginning of ground level preparations for the polls.
In a statement issued on Sunday (December 14, 2025), the Commission said all five officers have been drawn from outside West Bengal reiterating its practice of deploying officials from other states for key stages of the election process.
The officers have been appointed as observers at different FLC venues for the Assembly elections. They are Shania Kayem Mize Deputy Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Arunachal Pradesh Yogesh Gosavi Deputy CEO Maharashtra P.K. Boro Additional CEO Meghalaya Ethel Rothangpuii Joint CEO Mizoram and Kanishka Kumar Under Secretary, Election Commission of India.
The EC also said it has introduced new rules under which the image of each candidate will be displayed on the EVM a move aimed at providing clearer information to voters at the time of polling.
West Bengal had more than 80,000 polling booths during the 2021 Assembly elections. An EC official said the number of booths is expected to increase by over 10,000 following the ongoing enumeration exercise indicating a larger logistical operation ahead of next year’s polls.
