Murshidabad district of West Bengal will see the highest deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the first phase of the assembly elections on April 23, with officials from the Election Commission of India (ECI) citing its history of communal tensions and electoral vulnerabilities as key factors for the move.
The border district, which has a Muslim-majority population, witnessed communal clashes in 2024 during Ram Navami celebrations and again in 2025 during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act. It also recorded the highest number of voter deletions under adjudication, with 4,55,137 names flagged.
“At least 316 companies of central forces will be deployed in Murshidabad district, which has two police districts. While 76 companies will be stationed at Jangipur police district, 240 companies would be deployed in Murshidabad police district,” a senior ECI official said.
ECI officials said around 2,407 companies of CAPF will be deployed in the first phase. The scale and distribution of forces are based on multiple factors, including past incidents of violence, vulnerability assessments, and inputs from election observers and district administrations.
“This is the highest deployment of CAPF in West Bengal in recent Assembly or parliamentary elections,” another official said.
Data available with the ECI shows that East Midnapore will have the second-highest deployment, with 273 companies. The district had reported large-scale allegations of post-poll violence following the 2021 assembly elections.
East Midnapore is also expected to witness a high-stakes contest this time, particularly in the Nandigram constituency, where chief minister Mamata Banerjee had lost to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in 2021. The Trinamool Congress has fielded Pabitra Kar, a former close aide of Adhikari who recently returned to the party and was immediately given a ticket.
Other districts with substantial CAPF deployment include West Midnapore (271 companies), Bankura (193 companies), Birbhum (176 companies) and Malda (172 companies).
Of the state’s 294 assembly constituencies, polling in the first phase will cover 152 seats across 16 districts on April 23, while the remaining 142 seats will go to the polls in the second phase on April 29. Results are scheduled to be declared on May 4.
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