Women Voters Outnumber Men in 16 Constituencies in Phase I of Bengal Polls

MP, April 21, 2026, Kolkata: Women electors outnumber men in at least 16 of the 152 constituencies going to polls in Phase I of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections on April 23, according to data released by the Election Commission of India. These constituencies are spread across north Bengal—Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar—and parts of Murshidabad district.

Phase I has a total electorate of 3,60,77,171 voters, comprising 1,84,99,496 men, 1,75,77,210 women and 465 third-gender voters.

The widest gender gap in favour of women is in Samsherganj (Murshidabad), where 83,430 female voters outnumber 78,004 male voters by 5,426. The narrowest margin is in Siliguri, with women ahead by 924 (1,00,844 against 99,920).

Several north Bengal seats reflect a similar trend. In Kalchini (ST), women voters (1,11,742) exceed men (1,09,713). Madarihat (ST) has 97,695 women against 96,262 men, while Nagrakata (ST) records 1,12,292 women compared to 1,07,824 men.

In the Darjeeling district, constituencies such as Darjeeling, Kurseong, Matigara–Naxalbari (SC) and Siliguri all show higher female electorates. Darjeeling has 1,04,681 female voters compared to 1,03,033 male voters, while Kurseong shows a wider gap with 1,10,135 women against 1,06,014 men. In Matigara–Naxalbari (SC), women (1,34,906) are marginally ahead of men (1,33,571).

Though limited in number, these constituencies could carry weight as political parties sharpen outreach among women voters through welfare promises and targeted messaging. Officials said deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were marginally higher among male voters, contributing to the trend.

“Though the exact figures of deletions vary across districts, the broader pattern points towards a gradual balancing of the gender ratio in electoral rolls,” an observer said.

The trend assumes significance against a wider backdrop. Since the draft publication of the electoral roll, the number of women voters in West Bengal has declined by 3.8 per cent, compared with a 3.5 per cent drop among men.

At present, the state has 3,49,35,000 male voters and 3,33,14,000 female voters across its 294 Assembly constituencies.

With campaigning intensifying, observers expect a sharper focus on welfare delivery, safety, healthcare and income support in constituencies where women voters hold an edge.