India’s Election Commission has announced the schedule for assembly elections in four states—Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and West Bengal—and the union territory of Puducherry. The announcement was made in New Delhi by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on March 15, 2026. In West Bengal, voting will take place in two phases, on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4 across all states and the union territory.

In West Bengal, the first phase on April 23 will cover all districts except Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, East Burdwan, South 24 Parganas, and North 24 Parganas, which will vote in the second phase on April 29. The announcement came shortly after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that pending dearness allowances for government employees would be cleared and monthly stipends for mosque muezzins and Hindu priests would be increased.

The decision follows previous protests by state employees demanding payment of pending allowances, and a Supreme Court directive ordering the state government to settle the dues. A day before the schedule was announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally in Kolkata and unveiled development projects worth 180 billion rupees for West Bengal.