BENGAL DRAWS A NEW LINE BETWEEN THE CLASSROOM AND THE BALLOT BOX AS FUTURE TEACHERS FACE POLITICAL BAN

October 29, 2026

KOLKATA, OCTOBER 29, 2026: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that schoolteachers recruited in the future will be barred from participating in direct politics and contesting elections to panchayats, municipalities, state Assemblies and Parliament.

The decision was announced after a state cabinet meeting on Wednesday and comes amid an ongoing recruitment drive for secondary and higher-secondary teachers in government-aided schools. According to Adhikari, the restriction will apply to newly recruited teachers, while those already in service who participate in politics will retain their existing rights.

The chief minister said the measure was intended to restore the dignity of the teaching profession and improve educational standards. He criticised the political involvement of teachers under previous state governments and cited Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as examples of states following restrictions on teachers’ participation in electoral politics.

The government has incorporated the change into the recruitment rules of the West Bengal School Service Commission, Adhikari said.

The announcement has drawn criticism from opposition leaders. CPM leader Malini Bhattacharya questioned the legal validity of extending such restrictions to teachers recruited by the commission in government-aided schools, arguing that the measure could infringe upon their democratic rights. Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy also criticised the decision and called for it to be challenged in court.

School Education Minister Dipak Barman defended the government’s position, stating that the state intended to follow practices adopted elsewhere in the country.

The controversy raises questions about the balance between professional responsibilities and the constitutional rights of teachers, particularly the extent to which recruitment rules can restrict their participation in electoral politics.