Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Bengal Assembly to Take Up Kolkata Ward Amendment Bill Wednesday
Kolkata is a big city split into smaller areas called wards.
A group of grown-ups called the Assembly makes new rules for the city.
On August 12, they will talk about a new law that changes how many wards Kolkata has.
Right now there are 144 wards, and the new law would make 209 smaller wards.
The reason for the change is to make sure every ward has a fair number of voters.
Each ward is supposed to have between 14,000 and 18,000 voters.
Most wards follow that rule, but some have more than 20,000 voters and others have fewer than 10,000.
After the law is passed, the city will publish more details about the new wards, like which old ward each one came from.
The nearby city of Howrah will also get more wards, going from 50 to 68.
Kolkata will get an elected board of leaders by December 7, so having a fair voting setup matters a lot.
The West Bengal Assembly will take up the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on August 12, increasing Kolkata's wards from 144 to 209.
The amendment clears the way for publication of the draft revised ward boundaries, after a ward list was released on August 5 without voter strength details.
The delimitation aims to split larger wards so each has broadly similar voter counts of 14,000-18,000, a target met in 80% of wards.
The forthcoming draft is expected to show how old wards were split, but will not include zoomable digital maps since only hand-drawn maps exist.
The Assembly will also consider the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2026, raising Howrah's wards from 50 to 68.
- Who
- West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, the state Assembly, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and KMC administrator Smita Pandey.
- What
- The Assembly will take up the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to raise the number of municipal wards from 144 to 209 and clear the way for publishing the draft revised ward boundaries.
- When
- Wednesday, August 12, 2026; the ward list was published on August 5, and an elected KMC board is expected by December 7.
- Where
- West Bengal Assembly and the municipal areas of Kolkata and Howrah.
- Why
- To account for ward-wise population, dwelling patterns, geographical conditions and economic considerations, and to split high-population wards so each has broadly similar voter counts.
- Bill
- Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Ward increase
- 144 to 209
- Assembly session
- August 12, 2026
- Target voters per ward
- 14,000-18,000
- Ward list published
- August 5
- KMC administrator
- Smita Pandey (since June 8)
- Elected board expected
- By December 7
- Howrah ward increase
- 50 to 68