EC ensures record turnout of voters but can’t ensure peaceful polling.

PTI, April 23, 2026, Kolkata: In the first phase of polling in West Bengal on Thursday, the Election Commission of India succeeded in its primary target of ensuring that voters turned out in large numbers to exercise their franchise, but did not succeed in ensuring a peaceful process of polling.

While 90 per cent polling, among the highest polling percentage recorded in elections in West Bengal, was a clear indication that the EC had succeeded in ensuring protection for voters, it did not succeed in ensuring the same for candidates of opposition parties and their polling agents.

Most of the violent incidents were, however, outside the 100-metre perimeter of the ‘Laxman Rekha’ around the polling booths, making it possible for the voters to exercise their franchise.

But candidates of opposition parties, particularly of the BJP, did not enjoy the same security while moving around in their respective constituencies and were at the receiving end of attacks by Trinamool Congress supporters.

BJP candidate of Kumarganj in the South Dinajpur district, Subhendu Sarkar, was chased, heckled and punched repeatedly by a crowd. Only a lone policeman finally helped him to run away from the marauding crowd and escape.

At Asansol South, the rear windscreen of the car of BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul was smashed when stones were hurled at her vehicle as she was driving out after a visit to a booth. The candidate escaped unhurt.

At Labhpur in Birbhum and Chanchal in Malda, polling agents of the BJP were assaulted by the Trinamool. The Labhpur agent sustained a head injury.

At Naoda in Murshidabad, Aam Janata Unnayan Party candidate Humayun Kabir and his supporters had a prolonged stand-off with Trinamool Congress supporters, with lathi-wielding Central Armed Police Force personnel trying to keep them at bay.

In Murarai in Birbhum, clashes between Congress and Trinamool workers left at least two injured.

In Domkal in Murshidabad, security escorts were arranged for voters following complaints that they were being prevented from reaching polling booths.

Addressing a large public meeting at Krishnagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Election Commission for having held in West Bengal election “the most peaceful in the past 50 years.”

But his exuberance was perhaps a little premature.

Soon after, at Khoirasol in Birbhum, a group of people attacked a combined police and Central Reserve Police Force team with stones and bricks near a polling booth, alleging that they were pushing the button on one symbol and the vote was being recorded against another symbol.

Six CAPF jawans were reported to be injured in the stone-throwing and had to be taken to hospital.

Understandably, the Prime Minister, at his next meeting, while addressing a massive crowd at Mathurapur, did not mention anything about the polling process being a peaceful one.

In most cases, CAPF personnel deployed for crowd control were equipped with only lathis and were understandably helpless against large groups of people hurling stones. The firearms were carried by the West Bengal Police personnel.

Candidates who did not have any escort except their personal security officers were naturally a vulnerable target.

That the polling percentage was high was an indication that the opposition parties — the BJP, the Congress and the Left Front — could manage to take their voters to the polling booth to cast their votes.

“The record-breaking turnout makes me certain that this is going to be an overwhelming mandate in favour of a change which Bengal’s voters have already decided to bring about,” the Prime Minister said.

He said the BJP achieved decisive victories whenever people had turned up to vote in massive numbers.

Addressing a public meeting in Kolkata, however, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said people had voted for Trinamool in overwhelming numbers to save their lives and property from the “onslaught of the BJP.”

While in the first phase polling was held for 152 seats, the polling for 142 seats is yet to be held. These seats will go to the polls on April 29 in the second phase.