Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday cautioned Bengal’s district election officers (DEOs) — district magistrates and superintendents of police — saying that the poll panel would not tolerate any violence during the Assembly elections.

“The EC will not tolerate any violence during the polls. If violence takes place during the polls, the officers responsible in advance for dealing with such situations would be identified and undoubtedly punished,” the CEC, who was in Calcutta with his team, was quoted as saying in a meeting with senior bureaucrats.

Many in the state administration said this made it clear that officials in the districts that reported anomalies during the special intensive revision (SIR) of poll rolls were under the EC scanner.

“If the DEOs had been alert, irregularities in uploading documents or ineligible voter approvals could have been averted. If that lax approach continues, elections will not be free and fair in Bengal. The EC has made it clear that it would not tolerate any mistake, intentional or unintentional, by officials,” said a bureaucrat.

The full bench of the EC, which was in Calcutta to inspect Bengal’s poll preparedness, held meetings with political parties in the morning and meetings with DMs, SPs, other police officers and representatives of several central agencies later in the day.

“All should keep in mind that the EC can take steps against errant officers anytime,” an official present in the meeting quoted CEC Kumar.

Citing examples of irregularities during the SIR, the CEC warned district officials that a similar approach during elections would not
be tolerated.

During the SIR, the EC had pulled up several district magistrates for uploading ineligible documents and approving the inclusion of voters based on those documents.

“The EC was shocked to see ineligible documents, including blank papers, newspaper cuttings and blurry photographs were uploaded. More surprisingly, such voters were approved for inclusion in the electoral rolls. The EC raised the issue on Monday to caution the district officials that such irregularities would not be tolerated during the polls,” said an official present in the meeting.

Opposition parties also raised the issue of poll violence in Bengal with the full bench of the EC on Monday, sources said.

It is often alleged that the ruling party in Bengal creates terror in parts of the state to prevent Opposition parties from campaigning or reaching the booths, or their supporters from casting their votes. District authorities allegedly look the other way whenever the Opposition lodges complaints.

The EC warned officials that violence in the 2026 Bengal Assembly polls would not be tolerated. It asked the district officials to start raids and seize illegal firearms, stop the circulation of black money and illicit liquor from Monday evening.

The EC also asked district officials to utilise the central forces properly to prevent any untoward incident.