West Bengal Assembly election: 79% voter turnout recorded till 3:00pm
What's the story
West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 78.68% till 3:30pm on Wednesday during the second phase of polling for the assembly elections, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). Purba Bardhaman district recorded the highest voter turnout at 83.11%, followed by Hooghly with 80.77%. Nadia district also witnessed a high turnout of 79.79%. Kolkata North and South recorded turnouts of 78% and 75.38%, respectively, while South 24 Paraganas saw a turnout of 76.75%.
Election battle
TMC faces BJP challenge in South Bengal, Kolkata
The 2026 elections in West Bengal are primarily a contest between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The second phase of polling is crucial for TMC as it enters South Bengal and Kolkata, which are its traditional strongholds. This phase covers 142 out of 294 seats in West Bengal with an electorate of around 3.21 crore people.
Key contests
Urban "bhadralok" votes crucial for BJP
Among the 142 seats up for grabs, the "Big Five" urban contests are being closely watched. These include Bhabanipur and Tollyganj, which are high-profile battles. In the 2021 elections, TMC had won a majority of these seats, winning 123 out of 142. For BJP, this phase is crucial to win over urban "bhadralok" votes and Matua community support. For TMC, it's about retaining power for Mamata Banerjee's fourth consecutive term.
Vote counting
Vote counting on May 4
The vote counting for this phase will be held on May 4. A total of 1,448 candidates are contesting in this phase, including 220 women. The polling is being conducted at over 41,000 stations across West Bengal, with more than 8,000 stations being managed entirely by women. Almost 2,400 companies of CAPF have also been deployed to maintain peace and security.