Kolkata, Nov 15 (IANS) West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday said that elections in the state should be based on the ballot and not the bullet. The reaction from the Governor came a day after the NDA registered a thumping victory in the Bihar Assembly polls.

Speaking to a section of reporters at Raj Bhavan, Governor Bose said, “In West Bengal, elections should be based on ballot, not bullet. That is a transition which is required urgently in the state. Any type of violence, whatever be the reason, should be curbed with an iron hand. That is what is required in Bengal today.”

The comments from the Governor came ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls.

Governor Bose also said that violence and corruption during elections are two major challenges in West Bengal.

“I still stick to the view that the two major problems that confront the state need to be addressed effectively. One is violence and another is corruption. Before the election, certainly, violence has to be curbed and corruption has to be removed from the electioneering process. This state will come back to its original glory only if the corruption and violence are rooted out immediately. Otherwise, we cannot have a free and fair election in the state,” said the Governor.

It may be noted that elections in West Bengal are largely marred by widespread violence, especially in the last few general elections, Assembly polls and panchayat elections.

“That is why the Election Commission is taking all steps to see that the election is conducted in the state in a free and fair manner,” said Bose.

Responding to queries on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state, Governor Bose exuded confidence that the people of the state will accept the process.

“If people are confused, then we should convince them that SIR is a process which is required to clean up the election process and to ensure that free and fair elections take place. Bihar has proved it, and I am sure people of Bengal will accept it,” he said.

–IANS

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