New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday announced a hike in daily allowances for electoral officers of all levels, marking the first increase in polling officer remuneration since 2016.

Under the new order, the daily allowance for presiding officers and counting supervisors has been raised from ₹350 to ₹500, while polling officers will now receive ₹400 per day, up from ₹250.

Other key allowance revisions

  • Assistant count staff: From ₹350 to ₹450 per day
  • “Ground-D” assistants: From ₹200 to ₹350 per day
  • Video surveillance, accounting team, call centres, flying squads, and monitoring cells staff: From ₹1,000–₹1,200 to ₹2,000–₹3,000 per day
  • Micro-observers: From ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 per day

The ECI’s decision comes ahead of elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam, as well as the Union Territory of Puducherry, with results scheduled for May 4, 2026.

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West Bengal to hold two-phase polling

West Bengal will conduct polling in two phases — on April 23 and April 29. The first phase will cover 152 of 294 assembly constituencies, and the second will cover the remaining 142 constituencies.

The state remains the only one where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process has not yet been completed under the Model Code of Conduct, which is already in effect. Judicial adjudication is ongoing for voters flagged under the logical discrepancy category, while the first supplementary voter list has been published. Excludable names may appeal to any of the 19 Appellate Tribunals constituted for this purpose.

IANS