State-run Firm Rejects Polling Booth Setup: A significant development in pre-poll preparations in West Bengal has emerged: a state-owned engineering company, Mackintosh Burn Ltd (MBL), has formally declined the task of conducting assured minimum facilities (AMF) work across some 81,000 polling booths, citing “practical considerations” and infrastructure inadequacy. The refusal — addressed in a letter dated October 24 to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal — has raised concerns about the logistical readiness of the state ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
In its communication, the company stressed that it had “no disregard for the Election Commission” but claimed that its infrastructure did not permit it to perform the work of detailed field surveys and holistic assessment required under time-bound constraints.
Officials in the CEO’s office responded by stating that since MBL had flagged its inability in good faith and did not challenge the authority of the poll panel, the task will now revert to the Public Works Department, West Bengal (PWD) — which must identify alternate agencies to carry out the job. One source called the lead time already lost “costly”.
This episode brings into focus not only the readiness of key government contractors for crucial election work but also the broader institutional challenges of electoral infrastructure, contracting, coordination and accountability in West Bengal’s fast-approaching 2026 Assembly polls.
State-run Firm Rejects Polling Booth Setup: What exactly is AMF work?
The assured minimum facilities (AMF) constitute a set of baseline amenities mandated for every polling station so that voters can cast their ballots in a safe, accessible and dignified manner. Facilities typically include: shade or shelter, drinking water, sanitation, seating for elderly/vulnerable electors, ramps or barrier-free access for differently-abled voters, adequate lighting, signage, security barricades, first-aid kit, and a functional communication line for the returning officer.
Over 80,000 booths in West Bengal are already in the register; with scheduled major reorganisations of booth boundaries and possible additions ahead of the next Assembly election, the volume of work is heavy. MBL’s refusal touches on the first critical step: survey and assessment of existing gaps, followed by contract mobilisation, execution and monitoring.
How this refusal unfolded
The sequence of events is as follows:
- In July 2025, PWD entrusted MBL with the job of AMF execution across polling booths.
- On Friday, October 24, the firm submitted a formal letter to the West Bengal CEO’s office requesting relief from the assignment, citing infrastructure insufficiency and practical considerations.
- The CEO, Manoj Agarwal, had earlier written to MBL warning that failure to take up the job could lead to criminal proceedings against the company’s board of directors.
- After receiving MBL’s letter, the CEO’s office said it would not immediately proceed with penal action given that MBL accepted its inability; instead, PWD must now find alternative agencies without further delay.
- Sources told The Telegraph that the government did not check the company’s capacity before entrusting the nationwide task — a four-month delay that “could have been avoided” per one official comment.
Why this matters – The stakes ahead of 2026
Logistical scale and time pressure
With the state heading towards its Assembly elections in 2026, a large part of the electoral machinery is being updated: voter roll revisions (including the Special Intensive Revision, SIR), booth bifurcations, re-deployment of personnel, and readiness of infrastructure at booths. Ensuring all booths meet AMF standards is therefore not a mere formality but central to the credibility of the election process. A contractor pulling out at this stage raises red flags about preparedness.
Institutional accountability and contracting risks
MBL’s refusal highlights vulnerabilities in contracting elections-related work via state-run agencies. When a scheduled contractor says upfront they cannot handle the work, it triggers two issues: trust in the contracting process and the ability of supervising agencies to foresee capacity constraints. The PWD’s decision to award the job in July and then the contractor’s letter in October suggest a breakdown in the capacity-assessment and monitoring mechanism.
Voter confidence & inclusive access
The AMF work is about more than bricks and mortar: it is about ensuring that all eligible voters — including elderly, differently-abled, rural and marginalised groups — can access voting facilities without hindrance. Any lag in ensuring these minimum facilities threatens both access and the perception of fairness. The refusal therefore carries an electoral integrity implication.
Political optics for parties
In a politically charged state like West Bengal, where booth strength, polling station access and the legitimacy of elections are intensely scrutinised, such an institutional lapse can become ammunition for opposition parties. They may highlight the administration’s lack of preparedness as a sign of governance weakness.
Deeper institutional challenges exposed
Capacity mismatch in state-owned firms
MBL is a state-run unit under PWD. Its inability to execute the contract raises the question: are public sector agencies always best placed to handle large-scale, time-bound election infrastructure contracts? Some analysts suggest that while they offer transparency and oversight, their procurement and decision-making mechanisms may lack agility compared to specialised private contractors.
One source within the CEO’s office noted:
“The task of detailed survey and carrying out AMF to fill the gap of facilities in the booths would have to be taken up… Now it is the sole responsibility of PWD to appoint agencies to take up the job and complete those on time.”
Monitoring and supervision gaps
If a contractor is appointed without a full check of capability, important months may be lost in reallocation. The official quoted above said:
“The government did not check with the company whether it was capable of doing the work. If the PWD had tried to find out sooner, alternative agencies could have been hired earlier. It would have saved four valuable months.”
Delayed action at this stage may compress the timeline for booth readiness, giving less margin for quality assurance or last-minute fixes.
Contracting vs accountability tension
MBL’s letter requested relief from “penal, financial or other adverse actions” since its inability stemmed “entirely from practical considerations”. Such framing places the firm in a defensive posture, suggesting that the contractual expectations were unrealistic given their internal capacity. This raises issues about how contracts are drafted, what penalty clauses exist, and what due diligence was performed pre-award.
What happens next – Key actions and deadlines
PWD’s alternative agency mobilisation
With MBL out of the picture, PWD must now appoint alternate agencies to conduct the AMF survey and subsequent infrastructure work for the 81,000 or more booths across the state. Time is already of the essence.
CEO and electoral readiness
The CEO’s office will monitor whether the new contractors complete the survey and AMF work within the specified timeline. Given that booth-reorganisation, SIR and roll revision are underway, delays may cascade.
Transparent progress reporting
Given the scale and public importance of this work, one recommendation is that the CEO’s office publish progress dashboards: number of booths surveyed, percentage of AMF facilities installed, and number of pending booths. This would enhance transparency and build public confidence.
Risk of escalation into legal or electoral dispute
While MBL’s cooperative approach may have spared immediate legal action, the wider question remains: will other contractors or staff show similar hesitance? Any broader refusal or delay could prompt the CEO’s office to invoke penal provisions under election laws for failure of essential booth readiness.
Broader electoral system implications
Booth bifurcation and increase
Recent reports indicate that polling booths in West Bengal may increase significantly ahead of the 2026 elections to manage voter crowding and adhere to norms (e.g., limiting number of voters per booth). The larger the booth count, the greater the AMF task becomes. Failure to keep up could mean sub-standard facilities or delayed polling station readiness.
Voter roll revision overlap
Simultaneously, the state is engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls – a complex exercise of enumeration, verification and inclusion/exclusion. The pre-work for AMF must align with the roll revision schedule; any delay heightens risk of logistical mis-match.
Perception of state capacity and fairness
When administrative machinery appears to be unable to meet fundamental election infrastructure obligations, opposition parties may portray this as an erosion of institutional capacity. For citizens, the experience of malfunctioning voting booths may reduce trust in election fairness or in being able to cast their vote comfortably.
Expert commentary
Dr. Ananya Sen, a political scientist at the University of Calcutta, commented:
“Election administration in India is as much about infrastructure as it is about people. The refusal of a state-run contractor adds to the emerging narrative that election machinery is under strain. We are seeing simultaneous tasks — roll revisions, booth reorganisation, increased booth numbers, AMF upgrades — and delay in one will ripple into others.”
A former senior official in the Election Commission of India (ECI), requesting anonymity, added:
“Contracting at large scale is rarely smooth. What matters is: are the supervising organisations monitoring risks? Are alternative agencies ready? Did you hire one contractor or build in buffer? Four months lost in survey means two months less for rectification. That gap may show up on polling day.”
Political reactions and future risk
Although MBL’s action is not overtly political, it has political ramifications. Opposition parties may highlight this as governance failure; ruling party machineries will have to reassure ground-level workers and voters that booths will be ready.
Any perceived shortfall in booth-facility readiness may affect not just turnout but also security and logistics (for example, disabled voter access, elderly seating, sanitation facilities). This may become a campaign issue or ground-level grievance.
Case study: A booth journey
Consider a hypothetical booth in a rural district: It needs a shade structure (if outdoors), seating for 50+ elderly voters, drinking-water unit, ramp for wheelchair, barricade for vehicle traffic, signboards, a first-aid kit and communication link to returning officer. If the survey is delayed by two months and contract by one month, the team overseeing the booth has only a short window for erecting shade, procurement of water station, installing ramp and conducting rehearsal. If any input is delayed, the booth may open with a make-shift shade or no drinking water. Multiply this by thousands of booths and the scale of risk becomes clear.
What goes wrong when deadlines are missed
- Poorly maintained booths crushing turnout among elderly or differently-abled voters.
- Complaints of inadequate drinking water or sanitation, leading to negative media or party critique.
- Security hazards when barricades or signboards are absent.
- Administrative cascade: returning officers may request extensions, delaying official notices, budget disbursements may get stalled, last-minute hiring may be required.
In a politically charged state like West Bengal, where turnout and booth-level organisation are heavily contested, such omissions can assume critical importance.
Recommendations
Pre-qualification of contractors
Before assigning AMF work, agencies (PWD/CEO) should pre-qualify contractors based on prior performance, capacity, manpower and regional footprint.
Built-in buffer time
Given the scale and overlapping electoral tasks (SIR, booth reorganisation, voter list printing), buffer time should be built in. Delays should trigger escalation protocols.
Transparent contract management
Contract terms should include performance milestones, penalties for delay, progress monitoring dashboards, and regular field audits.
Regular public-dashboard updates
CEO’s office could release weekly progress reports: number of booths surveyed, number of AMF tasks awarded, number completed, number pending. This increases accountability and sight of deadlines.
Contingency planning
When a large contractor signals inability (as MBL did), backup plans should be immediately triggered — alternate agencies, reallocation of tasks by district, modular contracting (multiple contractors rather than one statewide).
Conclusion
The refusal by Mackintosh Burn Ltd to undertake assured minimum facilities work ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections shines a stark light on the logistical and institutional pressures of India’s electoral administration. While the company’s candid letter helped avert immediate penal measures, the delay it represents puts additional strain on the already compressed timeline of roll revision, booth restructuring and infrastructural readiness. For West Bengal’s electoral authorities, the task ahead is daunting: appointing new contractors, fast-tracking survey and installation, constantly monitoring progress and ensuring that every polling station can deliver the minimum standard of facilities when voters arrive.
At a time when election integrity, access and turnout are under close scrutiny, any perceived shortcoming in polling station readiness may have both administrative and political consequences. The matter is no longer simply about election infrastructure — it is about trust, access and institutional competence. West Bengal is now being tested on whether it can meet these fundamental standards under significant time and scale pressure.
External Links (Government / Official)
- Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal – Booth Information & Statutory Requirements
https://ceowestbengal.nic.in/ (Scroll to Polling-Station Infrastructure section) - Public Works Department, Government of West Bengal – Contracting Guidelines and Works Portal
https://pwdwb.gov.in/ - Election Commission of India – Polling Station Guidelines for General Elections
https://eci.gov.in/files/file/Guidelines-for-Polling-Station-Management/ - Election Commission of India – Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls: Guidelines
https://eci.gov.in/files/file/SIR-guidlines/ - Government of West Bengal – Administrative Reforms Department: State Owned Enterprises (SOE) Oversight
https://ard.wb.gov.in/
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