West Bengal Elections 2026: Record Voter Turnout in First Phase West Bengal registered a record voter turnout of 92.03% in the first phase of Assembly elections on Thursday, April 23, 2026, marking the highest-ever polling in the state since 1951. The Election Commission reported that the opening phase decided the electoral fate of 1,478 candidates across 152 constituencies of the 294-member State Assembly. Isolated incidents of violence were reported during polling. In Dakshin Dinajpur, BJP candidate Subhendu Sarkar from the Kumarganj assembly seat was chased and beaten up by a group of people while visiting a polling booth in a remote area. A separate clash occurred in Murshidabad when Trinamool Congress workers raised slogans and entered into an altercation with police upon the arrival of Aam Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal stated that the polling percentage is expected to rise further when final figures arrive. Among the districts recording high turnout were Dakshin Dinajpur at 94.98%, Cooch Behar at 94.75% and Birbhum at 93.88%. The first phase of polling was followed by a four-month long special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which resulted in a drop in the electorate by about 12%. Of the 90 lakh voters excluded by SIR in West Bengal, 63% are Hindus and 34% are Muslims. Counting of votes will accept place along with Assam, Keralam, and Puducherry Assembly Elections on the 4th of next month.
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