West Bengal's 2026 assembly elections witnessed an unprecedented 92.47% voter turnout, marking the highest participation rate since India's Independence and highlighting the increasing engagement of women voters.
Key Points
- The second phase of polling saw a 91.66% turnout, contributing to the record-breaking overall percentage.
- Women voters outnumbered men in this election, with a 93.24% female turnout compared to 91.74% male participation.
- The previous highest voter turnout in West Bengal was 84.72% during the 2011 assembly elections.
West Bengal has registered a record 92.47 percent voter turnout in the two-phase assembly polls, the highest in the state since Independence, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.
In 2013, Tripura had recorded the highest ever voter turnout in an Assembly election at 93.61 percent.
As of 7.45 pm, poll participation in West Bengal in Phase II of the Assembly elections stood at 91.66 percent. In Phase I of the elections on April 23, the poll participation was 93.19 percent.
"The combined poll percentage over the two phases stands at 92.47 percent," the poll watchdog said.
West Bengal has a voter base of 6.81 crore.
Previously, the highest voter turnout in the state was 84.72 percent in the 2011 Assembly polls.
In Phase II, the participation of women electors was marginally higher compared to men. According to the Election Commission (EC), 92.28 percent of the total women electors voted as compared to 91.07 per cent of men.
Commenting on the impressive voter turnout, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said, "For the highest ever percentage of polling in West Bengal since Independence, the EC salutes each voter of the state."
On April 9, Assam and Puducherry surpassed their highest-ever poll participation by recording a voter turnout of 85.38 percent and 89.83 percent, respectively.
According to the EC, previously, the highest poll participation in Tamil Nadu was 78.29 percent (in 2011).
In Tamil Nadu, women's participation was recorded at 85.76 percent as compared to 83.57 percent for men.
In West Bengal, 92.69 percent of women voters turned up at the polling stations in the first phase, compared to 90.92 percent of men.
Tamil Nadu, where all the 234 seats went to polls on April 23, has 5.73 crore voters, whereas in the 152 seats in West Bengal, where polling was held on the same day, the voter base was 3.6 crore.
The counting of votes for all five Assemblies that went to polls this month – West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Assam – will be taken up on May 4.
