West Bengal will hold a by-election for a Rajya Sabha seat on 16 October, with polling scheduled on Mahashashti of Durga Puja, placing additional operational pressure on the state Legislative Assembly Secretariat during the festival holiday period.
The Election Commission’s notification, issued on Tuesday, sets polling hours from 9 am to 4 pm, followed by counting from 5 pm on the same day. The entire election process must be completed by 19 October. The seat became vacant after the resignation of Trinamool Congress MP and actor Koel Mallick. Her term was scheduled to run until 2 April 2032.
According to the notified schedule, the election process will begin on 29 September, when the formal notification is issued. The last date for filing nominations is 6 October. Nominations will be scrutinised on 7 October, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until 9 October. The Commission has also provided for the appointment of observers for polling and counting.
The timing of the bypoll means that several election-related responsibilities will fall within the state’s pre-announced Durga Puja holiday period. The holiday is scheduled to begin from Panchami, one day before the polling date. The Assembly Secretariat is responsible for making arrangements for legislators to vote, as well as preparing the polling and counting facilities.
The requirement could mean that officials and employees report for duty during the holiday period. An Assembly Secretariat official, quoted in the report, said that polling may not be required if no party other than the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party fields a candidate. The final position will be clear only after the nomination process ends.
The official said the Secretariat would complete the election process on schedule and that necessary preparations would be made despite the festive period. In Kolkata, the days around Mahashashti are marked by heightened administrative activity, including preparations for puja inaugurations, traffic management and movement across the city. The election arrangements will therefore have to be coordinated with an already demanding period for public administration.
The Commission has specified that voters must mark their preference on the ballot paper using only the designated violet pen. Arrangements will also be required for the movement and entry of legislators, security, polling infrastructure, documentation and the counting process. These preparations will have to be completed alongside the nomination-related work scheduled immediately before the festival.
The possibility of an uncontested election remains open. If only one candidate files a valid nomination, the result can be declared after scrutiny on 7 October, and polling on Mahashashti would not be necessary. Whether the Assembly complex will need to host voting on 16 October will therefore depend on the number of valid candidates after the nomination and withdrawal stages.
There is speculation within political circles that Koel Mallick could be nominated again for the vacant seat. The report notes that Sukhen Shekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik had earlier resigned as Rajya Sabha members and were subsequently renominated in by-elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s final decision on its candidate has not been publicly announced.
The immediate administrative milestones are the issue of the notification on 29 September, the close of nominations on 6 October and scrutiny on 7 October. The final requirement for polling will be determined after the withdrawal deadline on 9 October.
