Overview
- The Election Commission said Wednesday that about 700 companies of Central Armed Police Forces will stay in West Bengal until further orders.
- CRPF chief GP Singh posted that 500 companies would remain with a named split across CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB, creating a public mismatch with the EC figure and underscoring that these units work under local magistrates and police chiefs.
- Union home minister Amit Shah said Monday that central forces would be retained for 60 days after the polls, setting a public benchmark even as officials now say the deployment continues until further orders.
- Security sources said de‑induction has begun with initial batches returning from Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur, and some bullet‑proof vehicles heading back while others stay for ongoing law‑and‑order duties.
- The 2026 polls drew an unusually large deployment of 2,550 companies and first‑time measures like armored vehicles moved by road and a social‑media monitoring control room, a scale justified by past election‑related violence and with counting due on May 4.