With Assembly elections announced in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, the Election Commission of India has pledged to make the exercise the most transparent in the country’s history.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the poll body has “zero tolerance” for violence, intimidation or inducement of voters, stressing its commitment to free and fair elections despite criticism from opposition parties.
The Commission has directed administrative and electoral machinery in poll-bound states to ensure a violence-free process, with strict instructions to prevent booth capturing or illegal voting practices.
To ensure neutrality, the ECI has deployed 1,111 central observers and ordered a large-scale reshuffle of officials — from district-level officers to top positions such as Director General of Police and Chief Secretary — particularly in West Bengal, where concerns over bias had been flagged.
While parties such as the Trinamool Congress have accused the Commission of favouring the Centre, the ECI has maintained that it is acting impartially and in accordance with the Constitution to provide a level playing field for all stakeholders.
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