As voters turn out in force, West Bengal breaks records
West Bengal on Wednesday recorded a historic voter turnout of 92.47 per cent in the two-phase Assembly elections with the conclusion of second phase on Wednesday which clocked at 91.66 per cent.
Election Commission of India (ECI) said 91.66 per cent turnout was recorded in the second phase of polls till 7.45 pm, putting the combined poll percentage over the two-phases at 92.47 per cent. The first phase of polling was held on April 23.
“This is the highest-ever recorded poll-participation since Independence in West Bengal,” ECI officials said. Reports of sporadic tension were also received from some other areas amid sights of long queues at polling stations, booth-level flare-ups, and political bickering.
Both the ruling TMC and the BJP which entered into a fierce poll battle in the State led by Home Minister Amit Shah camping for last few days, counted on the percentages to be on their winning sides.
If the first phase tested whether the BJP could retain its citadel in the north of the State, the second and final round was always the real battle for the saffron party on whether it could breach the ruling TMC’s southern fortress of Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking a fourth consecutive term after 15 years in power, faced Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in a prestige battle widely seen as a symbolic rematch of Nandigram, where Adhikari had defeated her in 2021 after crossing over from the TMC to the BJP.
For the TMC, retaining Bhabanipur is about protecting the Mamata’s authority in her own backyard. The constituency witnessed nearly 87 per cent polling, sharply up from around 61 per cent in the 2021 assembly polls and 57 per cent in the bypoll that brought Banerjee back to the House.
The BJP alleged that in several polling stations in Falta, the option to vote for the party was blocked using a tape over EVM poll buttons, and demanded repolls in the affected booths.
Sate’s Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal said re-polling is likely to be announced in booths where EVMs were found tampered with. However, the order will only be issued after authorities receive reports from the district election officer or election observers regarding allegations of EVM tampering, such as using tapes or a blot of ink, he said.
Of the 142 seats that voted on Wednesday, the TMC had won 123 in 2021, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF.
Together, North and South 24 Parganas, Kolkata and Howrah account for 91 of Bengal’s 294 assembly seats,nearly one-third of the House. Without cracking this southern belt, there is no realistic road to Nabanna for the saffron party.
