West Bengal logs highest-ever turnout: 92.88% in phase 1, final count awaited

Voting in the first phase of West Bengal’s Assembly elections has set a new benchmark, with the Election Commission of India’s provisional tabulation showing a turnout of 92.88 per cent across 152 constituencies.

The figure, compiled till midnight on April 23, signals the highest voter participation recorded in the state so far. Officials, however, indicated that the final percentage is yet to be declared and could edge higher once the complete tabulation is finished.

An insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, confirmed that the current figure is not final. The updated turnout will be announced after the counting of all late reports is completed.

Record broken even before polling closed

The milestone was effectively crossed before the close of polling. By 5 pm on Thursday, an hour before voting officially ended, turnout had already reached 89.93 per cent, surpassing the previous high.

The earlier record dated back to the 2011 Assembly elections, which saw an average turnout of 84.33 per cent across six phases. That election marked the end of the 34-year Left Front rule and the rise of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.

Queues at booths pushed turnout higher

According to West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal, long queues persisted at thousands of polling stations even after the official closing time.

“At least 5,000 polling booths in these 152 Assembly constituencies had voters still waiting in queues at 6 pm,” he said. Voting at these locations continued into the evening, contributing to the surge in turnout.

Arrests made amid largely peaceful polling

The polling day was largely peaceful, though authorities acted against attempts to disrupt the process. A total of 41 people were arrested on Thursday, while 571 preventive arrests had been made in the run-up to polling.

Agarwal also pointed to a cleaner electoral roll as a key factor behind the high participation. The removal of absent, missing, shifted, and duplicate voters from the list helped streamline the process and possibly boosted turnout.

High turnout draws political reactions

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday congratulated voters for the record turnout and praised the polling process.

In a post on X, Shah thanked the Election Commission of India and security personnel for ensuring what he described as a “peaceful and secure” election.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the esteemed voters of West Bengal for shattering all records of participation in this grand festival of democracy through a historic turnout in the first phase of polling,” he wrote.

“I express my deep gratitude and congratulations to the Honourable Election Commission, the brave personnel of all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and our West Bengal Police for ensuring one of the most peaceful and secure polling processes in the history of Bengal. This serves as a clear harbinger of the dawn of a new era of good governance in Bengal,” the post further read.

Women voters outpace men in participation

The turnout figures also reflected strong participation across voter groups. Women voters recorded a turnout of 92.69 per cent, higher than 90.92 per cent among men.

The Election Commission also noted participation from transgender voters, with a turnout of 56.79 per cent.

Meanwhile, polling for Phase I concluded at 6 pm on Thursday under tight security arrangements across all 152 constituencies.

The second phase of polling is scheduled for April 29, while counting of votes will take place on May 4.