Kolkata: Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun preparations for the 2026 legislative assembly polls in the state, commencing the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) checking and voting rehearsal exercise on Friday.

In Kolkata, Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti chaired a meeting with First Level Checking (FLC) team members, where discussions covered the SIR progress and the availability of EVM and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. Officials confirmed the state has sufficient stock of these machines.

The ECI has introduced a new feature for this election, including photographs of each candidate on the EVMs for the first time. The candidate images will be displayed next to the voting buttons and incorporated into training sessions.

The 2026 assembly elections will witness an increase of nearly 15,000 polling booths, rising from 80,681 in 2021 to around 95,000 booths. To accommodate this, the West Bengal Chief Election Commissioner's office currently holds 1,30,000 EVMs, including ballot and control units plus reserves, and 1,35,000 VVPAT machines.

Later on the same day, ECI officials will conduct a comprehensive EVM test, involving six voting buttons tested 16 times each, totalling 96 votes per machine. Engineers from Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Bengaluru, will provide training at a venue near Eco Park, Newtown, Kolkata.

This exercise aims to verify the proper functioning of all buttons, the response between ballot and control units, and the accurate printing and display of VVPAT slips.

EVM officials, warehouse staff, and District Magistrates/District Election Officers across districts will oversee and facilitate training at the local levels.

The SIR process has faced strong opposition from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has demanded a halt to the exercise, citing concerns over possible disenfranchisement of eligible voters. In contrast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the TMC of attacking election officials and alleged attempts by the TMC to influence the electoral process improperly.

With inputs from ANI