Archive · 12 Nov 2025
Bengal Faces Hurdles in Poll Readiness Amid Booth Amenity Cost Refund Issues
Imagine the government needs to fix up all the places where people vote, like making sure there are lights, water, and ramps.
They usually pay for this and then ask a special election group to pay them back.
But this time, the company that was supposed to do the work said they can't because they don't have enough people.
Now the government has to find a new company, but they are running out of time to get everything ready and do it the right way to get their money back.
If they don't do it properly, they might not get paid for the fixes.
The election group is also checking past work to make sure money wasn't spent twice.
The Bengal government may struggle to get reimbursed by the Election Commission for polling booth amenity costs for the 2026 Assembly polls.
State-owned Mackintosh Burn Ltd refused to undertake the Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) work due to a lack of manpower.
The government must find a new agency through tenders, but delays caused by an ongoing survey (SIR) and the approaching poll date announcement create a tight timeline.
A potential issue is the possibility of using spot quotations if tenders cannot be floated in time, which could hinder reimbursement claims, as seen with ₹1,200 crore from the 2024 elections.
The Election Commission is scrutinizing past AMF expenditures to prevent duplication of work and misuse of public funds.
- Who
- The Bengal government, Election Commission of India, Mackintosh Burn Ltd, and state officials (BDOs, AEROs, EROs, district officials, chief electoral officer, chief secretary)
- What
- Potential difficulties in claiming reimbursement from the Election Commission for costs incurred to set up minimum facilities at polling booths for the 2026 Assembly polls.
- When
- Ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, with tender processes potentially needing completion before poll dates are announced in February-end.
- Where
- West Bengal
- Why
- Due to issues with contracting agencies, potential delays in tender processes, and scrutiny from the Election Commission regarding past expenditures to prevent duplication of work and misuse of public funds.
- Estimated Cost for Booth Amenities
- ₹2,500 crore
- Number of Booths
- 81,000+
- Mackintosh Burn Ltd's Refusal Date
- October
- PWD Assigned Mackintosh Burn Ltd Work
- July
- SIR Ongoing Till
- February 7
- Potential Poll Date Announcement
- February-end
- Unclaimed Reimbursement from 2024
- ₹1,200 crore