Bengal polls: Voting underway in 142 seats; 91.62% overall voter turnout

April 29, 2026

Kolkata: Polling began at 7 a.m. on Wednesday for 142 constituencies across six districts in West Bengal, including its capital, Kolkata, in the second phase of the two-phase Assembly polls. The polling process started on Wednesday with mild tension in certain pockets from the very first hour.

Final voter turnout

The voter turnout in West Bengal reached a staggering 91.62% by the close of the second phase of polling on Wednesday.
According to the latest data from the Election Commission of India at 7:30 pm, Purba Bardhaman district maintained the lead with a massive 93.48% turnout, followed closely by South 24 Parganas (91.73%), North 24 Parganas (91.70%), Hooghly (91.50%), Nadia (91.45%), and Howrah (91.17%).

Turnout till 5pm 

The second phase of assembly polls in West Bengal has seen a huge 89.99% per cent turnout till 5 pm, according to Election Commission data.
Purba Bardhaman district continued to maintain the lead with a whopping turnout of 92.46%, followed by Hooghly (90.34%), Nadia (90.28%), Howrah (89.44%) and North 24 Paraganas. South 24 Paraganas witnessed a turnout of 89.74% and 89.57% respectively.
Political parties are interpreting the high turnout in their favour. The first phase witnessed a record voter turnout of 91.78 per cent. While Trinamool Congress said it will win at least 100 of 152 seats that went to the polls in the first phase, the BJP said it is confident of winning 110 seats in the first phase.

89.99% approximate voter turnout recorded till 5 pm in the second and final phase of West Bengal elections 2026.

Turnout till 3pm 

As per the Election Commission, 78.68% approximate voter turnout recorded till 3 pm in the second and final phase of West Bengal elections 2026.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Purba Bardhaman district topped the charts with the highest voter turnout of 83.11% so far, with Hooghly following with 80.77% turnout.
Nadia district recorded a turnout of 79.79% while Kolkata North and South recorded 78% and 75.38% voter turnout, respectively, during the same period. Additionally, South 24 Paraganas also saw massive participation of people with 76.75% voter turnout.

Turnout till 1 pm 

As per the Election Commission, 61.11% approximate voter turnout has been recorded till 1 pm in the second and final phase of West Bengal elections 2026.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Hooghly topped the districts with a turnout of 64.57 per cent, followed by Howrah at 60.68 per cent.

Kolkata North recorded 60.18 per cent polling, while Kolkata South registered 57.73 per cent turnout during the same period. Nadia also saw a significant participation, recording a voter turnout of 61.41 per cent till 1 pm.

Turnout till 11 am 

As per the Election Commission, 39.97% approximate voter turnout was recorded till 11 am in the second and final phase of the West Bengal elections 2026.

According to the Election Commission of India, Purba Bardhaman stood at the top, with a voting percentage of 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly, which has witnessed 43.12 per cent polling until 11 am.

Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded a voter turnout of 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent, respectively. Nadia also recorded a sizeable turnout of 40.34 per cent.

Turnout till 9 am 

As per the Election Commission, 18.39% approximate voter turnout recorded till 9 am in the second and final phase of the West Bengal elections 2026.

Purba Bardhaman stands at the top, with a voting percentage of 20.86 %, followed by Hooghly, which has witnessed 20.16 % polling until 9 am on Wednesday. 18.50 percent polling has taken place in Nadia; meanwhile, North 24 Paraganas 17.81 % votes.

Kolkata North and Kolkata South have experienced 17.28 % and 16.81 % polling respectively, whereas 17.76 percent voting has taken place in Howrah.

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At Bhawanipur-adjacent Rashbehari constituency, also in South Kolkata, mild tension broke out following allegations that the ruling Trinamool Congress activists were not allowing Congress booth agents to enter a particular polling booth. Congress alleged ‘hooliganism’ in the Rashbehari Assembly constituency by the ruling party activists at the beginning of the polling process.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls for large voting 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday morning issued a social media post in Bengal, giving a call for the voters in these 142 Assembly constituencies to vote in large numbers.

“Today is the second phase of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections 2026. I urge all those who are voting today to cast their votes in record numbers to make our democracy more vibrant and participatory. In particular, the women and youth power of West Bengal must turn out in large numbers to exercise their voting rights,” the social media post by the Prime Minister read.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed at Singur in Hooghly district since Tuesday night, with the outgoing Trinamool Congress legislator, Bencharam Manna, staging a protest demonstration in front of the local police station, alleging excesses by the security forces.

Late voting due to EVM Malfunctioning 

The polling process at a booth in Santipur Assembly constituency in Nadia district started late due to an EVM malfunction. Mock polling, mandatory before the actual polling process, was conducted at all polling booths where the elections are being conducted. Apart from the state capital Kolkata, the six districts where polling is being held in the second phase on Wednesday are North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Nadia and East Burdwan.

Second Phase Voting 

The second phase of the Assembly polls is being conducted under unprecedented security cover, with the deployment of 2,407 companies of central forces, including Central Armed Police Forces, the India Reserve Battalion, and personnel from armed police wings of other states, in addition to personnel from West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police. Webcasting is being conducted in all polling stations.