# Kolkata Book Fair stall allocation goes fully digital 2026-10-04T16:57:32+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF) committee has introduced a fully digital stall-allocation process for the first time, for its 50th edition to be held from 22 January to 3 February 2027. Publishers in India and abroad can apply through an online portal until 15 October, replacing the earlier system of physical or emailed applications with supporting documents. IKBF advisory board convener Prasenjit Bakshi said the portal brings more transparency to the allotment process. Guild general secretary Tridib Chatterjee said publishers can now apply at their own convenience. Lists of successful applicants and final stall allocations will be uploaded on the portal. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The shift to an online portal removes a long-standing paperwork bottleneck for publishers, who earlier had to submit physical or emailed documents to the guild. The key change is transparency: all applicants see the same lists and allocations on the portal, eliminating any opaque manual step. The 15 October deadline will test how smoothly the system handles applications from both Indian and foreign publishers. Whether the portal reduces disputes over stall locations will become clear when allocations are published. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Straight factual report on a procedural change, with no government involvement or slant. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: International Kolkata Book Fair, Kolkata, Prasenjit Bakshi Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kolkata-book-fair-stall-allocation-goes-fully-digital/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kolkata-book-fair-stall-allocation-goes-fully-digital/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/