Record turn-out in Assembly polls: Bengal witnesses over 90 per cent, TN 82.24 per cent.

PTI, April 23, 2026, Kolkata/Chennai:  In keeping with the trend of high voter turn-outs in the just concluded Assembly elections of Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, today West Bengal and Tamil Nadu too witnessed record-shattering voter turn-outs in the Assembly elections in the respective states.

Results of elections of all four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry will be out on May 4.

In West Bengal, close to 90 per cent of the 3.60 crore electors turned up to vote in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls till 5 pm on Thursday, held under the shadow of large-scale name deletions under the SIR exercise, sporadic violence and assault on at least three candidates.

The voter turnout is among the highest in recent electoral history of the state.

Polling in 16 districts began at 7 am on Thursday amid tight security to decide the electoral fate of 1,478 candidates, including 167 women, in 152 constituencies of the 294-strong state Assembly.

Long queues outside polling booths reflected strong voter participation in what is being seen as a crucial round in a high-stakes contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP.

The state recorded 89.93 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm, with the Dakshin Dinajpur district leading with 93.12 per cent polling.

With voting slated to continue till 6 pm, political observers said the turnout might cross 95 per cent.

Analysts say the turnout reflects both heightened political mobilisation and the statistical impact of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which pruned over 91 lakh names from the voter's list across the state.

The steady climb, from 18.76 per cent in the first two hours to 41.11 per cent by 11 am and 62.18 per cent by 1 pm, underscored a strong voter response across geographies -- from the tea gardens of North Bengal to the communally sensitive belts of Murshidabad and the politically volatile Jangalmahal.

Many of the districts that voted in the first phase had seen significantly higher turnouts in the 2021 Assembly elections when polling was held in eight phases.

The SIR exercise, which shrank the electorate by nearly 12 per cent, loomed large over the phase.

While the Election Commission has maintained that the revision improved the accuracy of the rolls, opposition parties, particularly the TMC, have alleged large-scale disenfranchisement, turning turnout itself into a contested political statistic.

That tension spilled onto the ground in multiple districts.

Clashes, allegations of intimidation and attacks on candidates, including on two of the BJP, were reported from several constituencies, prompting the Election Commission to seek detailed reports even as it maintained that polling was "largely peaceful".

The Election Commission, facing mounting pressure, reported receiving around 500 complaints by noon, with another 375 through the cVIGIL app.

The TMC alone claimed to have lodged over 700 complaints by mid-afternoon, many related to alleged EVM malfunction and the conduct of central forces.

The EVM issue added another layer of political contestation to an already polarised phase where identity, citizenship, and the fallout of voter list revision have overtaken traditional issues like jobs and corruption.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that "TMC-sheltered criminals" were intimidating voters, while the TMC accused the BJP of using central agencies and forces to influence the electoral process.

Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, about 82.24 per cent of the 5.73 crore eligible voters exercised their franchise in the election to the 234-member strong state Assembly, a record turnout.

This was the provisional figure till 5 pm and the final data will be made available following consolidation of data, officials added.

People voted in as many as 75,064 polling stations in 33,133 locations to decide the fortunes of 4,023 candidates.

The DMK, which heads the Secular Progressive Alliance, is seeking to retain power and is leading a multi-party coalition that includes Congress, Left parties and the VCK.

The AIADMK, heading the National Democratic Alliance, on the other hand, is pushing for a return to power with allies BJP, AMMK and PMK, among others, in tow.