The first phase of voting in West Bengal’s Assembly elections has seen a remarkable turnout, with the provisional data from the Election Commission of India indicating a participation rate of 92.88% in 152 constituencies.
As of April 23 at midnight, this turnout represents a historic high in the state. However, officials have mentioned that the final percentage is yet to be officially announced and could potentially increase once all the votes are fully counted.
A source within the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal has confirmed that the current figure is not final and that the updated turnout will be disclosed once all outstanding reports are tallied.
The record-breaking turnout was achieved even before the polls closed. By 5 pm on Thursday, an hour before the designated end of voting, the percentage had already exceeded the previous high, reaching 89.93%.
The earlier record dated back to the 2011 Assembly elections when the state saw an average turnout of 84.33% over six phases, marking the transition from the Left Front rule to the Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee.
Long queues at polling stations kept voter participation high past the official closing time, with CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal noting that around 5,000 booths in the 152 constituencies still had voters waiting in line at 6 pm. This extended voting period contributed to the surge in turnout.
Despite some arrests made for attempted disruptions, the polling day was mostly peaceful. A total of 41 individuals were arrested on Thursday, with 571 preventive detentions carried out before polling began.
Agarwal highlighted the cleaner electoral list as a factor in the increased participation, as the removal of ineligible voters streamlined the process and likely boosted turnout.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah commended the voters for the record turnout and lauded the Election Commission of India and security personnel for ensuring a peaceful and secure election process.
Women voters showed higher participation than men, with a turnout of 92.69% compared to 90.92% among men. Transgender voters also participated, with a turnout of 56.79%.
The first phase of polling concluded at 6 pm on Thursday across all 152 constituencies under stringent security measures. The second phase is set for April 29, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.
