West Bengal poll date announcement: Did Mamata Banerjee breach Model Code of Conduct with DA move? EC responds

Reacting to the announcements, Kumar told reporters: "The Model Code of Conduct is applicable from now onwards, so actions taken before its enforcement are the prerogative of the concerned government."

Mamata Banerjee on Sunday announced that her government will start paying the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) to state government employees from March.

Sharing the update on X, Banerjee wrote that the government had delivered on its promise to employees and pensioners.

“I am happy to announce that our Ma-Mati-Manush government has delivered on its promise to all its employees and pensioners, and to lakhs of teachers and non-teaching staff of our educational institutions, as well as employees and pensioners of our other grant-in-aid institutions like panchayats, municipal bodies and other local bodies,” she said.

She added that employees would start receiving their ROPA 2009 DA arrears from March 2026.

“They will start receiving their ROPA 2009 DA arrears from March 2026 onwards as per the modalities detailed in the notifications issued by our Finance Department,” Banerjee said.

The announcement comes ahead of the expected declaration of the Assembly election schedule by the Election Commission of India later on Sunday.

Once the poll dates are announced, the Model Code of Conduct will come into force.

Supreme Court order on DA dues

Earlier, on February 5, the Supreme Court of India directed the West Bengal government to release 25 percent of the pending DA by March 31, 2026, and the remaining amount by May 15, 2026, upholding an earlier order.

A division bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra also asked the state government to constitute a four-member committee of retired judges to decide on the remaining 75 percent of the DA arrears for the period between August 2008 and December 2019.

Honorarium hike for priests and muezzins

Banerjee also announced an increase in the monthly honorariums for purohits and muezzins.

“I am pleased to announce an increase of ₹500 in the monthly honorariums extended to our purohits and muezzins, whose service sustains the spiritual and social life of our communities. With this revision, they will now receive ₹2,000 per month,” she said.

She also stated that all fresh applications submitted by purohits and muezzins have been approved by the state government.

West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced on Sunday.

He said the counting of votes will take place on May 4.