Kolkata: Thirty-year-old Jay Acharya lives in Sonarpur, on the outskirts of Kolkata. The sales agent of a paint company, every day Acharya takes his scooty in and around Kolkata, Jaynagar and Canning for work. The average distance he covers a day is close to 80 kilometres. Jay’s employers have made it clear to him that he has to work on the day of the polls.So what worries Jay?In an order on April 20, the Bengal Chief Electoral Officer imposed strict restrictions on the use of motorcycles two days before polling and on polling day to ensure “free, fair, and violence-free” elections. The order bans all motorbike rallies and prohibits bike movement between 6 pm and 6 am, except in emergencies.During the daytime, i.e. from 6 am to 6 pm, pillion riding is not allowed except for essential purposes such as medical emergencies, family needs, or school-related duties. On polling day, limited pillion riding is permitted for voting and essential activities.Ananya Dam, a 34-year-old teacher, needs to travel every day from Kolkata’s Thakurpukur to Kasba, a distance of 14 kilometres. A bike taxi is an easy way of avoiding crowds. “How should I manage my time and budget? In name of free and fair elections, the Election Commission is actually treating the common persons like me unfairly.” But the impact of such a decision is felt far from Kolkata, in villages and small towns, even more. Sixteen of the 23 districts going to the polls tomorrow are rural. There, the motorcycle is a lifeline for millions.Many vital public transport vehicles like buses and cabs are already off the roads on election duty. Auto rickshaws are not always available, nor do they go everywhere with most running on specific routes. In the Mathurapur block of the South 24 Parganas, 17-year-old Soma Naskar is preparing for her higher secondary examinations. She said, “Though our school is closed for the accommodation of the central forces, but I need to travel to tuition classes. My elder brother drops me to my classes on his motorcycle. Does this mean that I cannot attend my classes for three days starting from April 27?”Manju Haldar, a 49-year-old domestic worker in Kolkata said that her home is 45 minutes away from Lakshmikantapur railway station. “Many women like me avail the first train that leaves at 3.25 am. My husband drops me to the station every day. It will be difficult to arrange for transport for the three days,” she said. Manju noted that she knew many vegetable sellers who would be similar inconvenienced.The Wire spoke to delivery workers Mohammad Maqsood, Sabuj Das, Mahadev Mandal, Suraj Sharma, and Imran Khan. All of them noted that food and other delivery companies have not yet issued any directives. “If we don’t get an exemption, we are going to lose three days’ income.” When asked on April 21, CEO Manoj Agarwal told reporters, “App bikes will be operational as long as these are not used to induce or influence the voters. Gig workers too can use it as usual.” There is, however, no written order.The original order by the ECI notes that exemptions can be granted with “written police permission” but does not specify exactly how this process would work.“Elections are busy. If a biker comes to a police station and asks for an exemption, do police have time to scrutinise the necessity? Who will risk issuing an exemption? If any violations is found, the officer will be held responsible by the Election Commission, naturally,” said the superintendent of police of a south Bengal district, requesting anonymity.Outsiders in complexesAnother directive of the ECI is equally confusing. Citing Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, CEO Agarwal has announced that “no outsiders who are not electors of that constituency can stay as guests in residential complexes where booths are located.” It will be in force from 6 pm on April 27 till the end of polling. The directive left residents of complexes with booths grappling with practical concerns. It is often the case that a huge number of occupants are either non-voters, voters registered in other constituencies, or temporary residents. Many are tenants, domestic workers, electricians, plumbers, and visiting relatives and acquaintances. Across Purba Medinipur district, from 5 pm today until April 23, no outsider will be allowed to stay in any hotel in key coastal towns like Digha, Mandarmani, Tajpur, and Shankarpur. The ECI issued strict directives to hotel owners late on Monday night.The order says that no hotel or lodge can rent out rooms to outsiders after 5 pm today. Only local voters or individuals with special permission will be allowed to stay.The ECI’s latest directives represent a striking expansion of its authority into the sphere of everyday civilian life. Questions have also arisen over the practicality and fairness of enforcing these rules.Opposition leaders and civil society observers argue that these measures risk creating a troubling precedent in which election-time administration overrides basic civil liberties without sufficient transparency or accountability.ECI sources defend the directives as a response to patterns seen in previous elections. They point to allegations that ruling party workers had locked the gates of housing complexes to prevent voters from reaching polling stations and had accommodated outsiders in guest facilities in order to engineer disruptions. From the ECI’s perspective, these stringent restrictions are intended to ensure a free, fair, and intimidation-free voting process, even if that requires temporary but unusually strict controls. However, such broad restrictions blur the line between legitimate electoral safeguards and excessive intrusion into personal liberty, with consequences for families, travellers, and routine social interactions.Helplines and securityMeanwhile, the newly renamed Rashtrapati Bhavan – Lok Bhavan – in Bengal has established a dedicated 24×7 citizen helpline to address public concerns and prevent incidents of pre- or post-election violence in the state. Residents can reach the helpline through multiple contact numbers, including 033-2200-1022, 033-2200-1023, and others, or via email at lokbhavanbengalhelpline@gmail.com.Bengal governor R.N. Ravi took charge recently, after former governor C.V. Ananda Bose was removed.The Election Commission is learned to have deployed 2,407 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, over 2.4 lakh personnel, for Phase I of the elections alone. For context, in 2023, about 600 companies were deployed in Chhattisgarh Bastar. In Phase 2 on April 29, 2.3 lakhs CAPF will be deployed as per the order. Kolkata will get 27,000 para-military personnel. According to reports, the chiefs of the five branches of the CAPF (BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF, and CRPF) held a meeting on the security arrangements for the West Bengal elections with the concerned forces together. Many described it as unprecedented, even in terms of optics.The Election Commission’s data shows that Bengal accounts for a substantial share of poll-related seizures, with a total of Rs 472.89 crore seized between February 26 and April 22, 2026. Among these, freebies and inducements form the largest chunk – Rs 178.83 crores – followed by drugs and liquor, each a little above Rs 100 crore. The scale highlights intensive enforcement activity in Bengal, with thousands of flying squads and surveillance teams deployed.State liquor banBefore all this came a ban on the sale of liquor and closure of alcohol shops in what is one of the state’s longest dry spells. An April 19 directive by the State Excise Department notes that it “has been observed that there in usual spurt in sale of liquor” along with an unusual increase in the number of “sensitive shops.”Alcohol shops will thus be required to be closed for 96 hours before polling, which is beyond the usual period of 48 hours that had been fixed since 1998.Additionally, a statewide dry day has been declared on May 4, the day of counting.A report suggests, Bengal has around 5,000 bars and outlets, which together typically generate daily sales of between Rs 80 crore and Rs 90 crore. Industry estimates, cited by the Times of India, put potential losses from the extended ban at over Rs 1,400 crore, with Kolkata alone accounting for nearly Rs 900 crore of that figure. For the first day, the liquor and the hospitality industry has encountered Rs 1300 crore, a source said.On April 21, CEO Manoj Agarwal told reporters that the ECI did not mandate this ban and was not consulted by the excise department either.With inputs from Aparna Bhattacharya.