West Bengal records historic 91.91% turnout in Phase I polls; Tamil Nadu logs 84.80%

Polling for the first phase of Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with West Bengal registering a significantly higher voter turnout of 91.91 per cent compared to Tamil Nadu’s 84.80 per cent, according to the latest data released by the Election Commission of India.

The high participation levels reflected an active electoral exercise as voting came to a close across constituencies under tight security arrangements.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the Commission “salutes each voter” in both states for participating in large numbers in what he described as a “festival of democracy.”

“Highest ever percentage of polling in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu since Independence, ECI salutes each voter of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu,” ANI quoted CEC Gyanesh Kumar as saying.

Several districts in West Bengal recorded over 90 per cent voter turnout. Dakshin Dinajpur led with 94.85%, followed by Cooch Behar at 94.54%, Birbhum at 93.70%, Jalpaiguri at 93.23%, and Murshidabad at 92.93%. The figures reflect consistently high voter participation across the state, with all major districts comfortably staying above the 90% mark.

Tamil Nadu also recorded strong turnout across key districts, with Karur leading at 92.48%, followed closely by Salem at 90.42%, Dharmapuri at 90.02%, Erode at 89.97% and Namakkal at 89.63%.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 85.2 per cent while Tamil Nadu recorded 76.6 per cent. The numbers reflect an overwhelming voter turnout across districts, reinforcing both states’ consistent trend of high electoral participation.

Polling for the 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu and 152 constituencies in West Bengal began amid tight security this morning. Polling in the remaining 142 constituencies in West Bengal is slated for May 29, and counting of votes will take place on May 4.

High turnout signals ‘mandate for change’ in Bengal: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated voters in West Bengal for what he described as a strong turnout in the first phase of the Assembly elections, saying the voting trends indicated an “overwhelming mandate for change.”

Addressing poll rallies in Krishnanagar in Nadia district, where voters in 152 constituencies cast their ballots following the deletion of over 90 lakh names from the electoral rolls under the SIR exercise, PM Modi also praised the Election Commission for ensuring that “violence during the Assembly polls in the state at a minimum.”

“This is the first time in the last 50 years of poll history in West Bengal that incidents of violence were kept at a minimum. The information I have received so far about the record-breaking turnout makes me certain that this is going to be an overwhelming mandate in favour of a change which West Bengal’s voters have already decided to bring about,” PTI quoted the PM as saying.

At another rally in Kakdwip stadium in South 24 Parganas district under the Mathurapur Assembly constituency, PM Modi said the high voter turnout reflected a shift from what he called the Trinamool Congress regime of “bhoy” (fear) to the “bharosa” (trust) promised by the BJP.

May 4, the day votes will be counted, would mark the “expiry” of the “TMC’s 15-year-old syndicate system and maha jungle raj” in West Bengal, he said.

Referring to past electoral trends, the Prime Minister also claimed that the BJP has secured decisive victories wherever voter turnout has been high.

Mamata, TMC counter Modi

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asserted that polling held so far in the first phase of the assembly polls indicates the TMC is already in a position to win.

Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said at a rally in Bow Bazar area of Kolkata that she will conquer Delhi taking along all opposition parties, after winning the election.

“From my understanding of people’s mind, we are already in a position to win given the polling held so far today,” Banerjee said.

“I am not interested in any post, I don’t want the chair. I only want the end of BJP government in Delhi,” she said.

Mamata’s TMC too countered PM Modi’s ‘mandate for change’ assertion, claiming that it instead reflects strong backing for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government’s development agenda.

Responding to Modi’s remarks, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the surge in polling percentage has “decisively gone in favour of the ruling party” and signals a clear rejection of the BJP.

“The BJP is trying to misread the massive turnout. This is not a vote for change, but a resounding endorsement of Banerjee’s governance. The people of Bengal have broken the BJP’s backbone in the very first phase,” PTI quoted Ghosh as saying at a press conference.

With inputs from agencies