The Election Commission of India’s data revealed that the voter turnout in the initial phase of Assembly elections for 152 constituencies in West Bengal hit a remarkable 92.88%, setting a new state record. However, this percentage is not final as the official tabulation is still pending, as per a source from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal. Once the final count is completed, a potentially higher updated figure will be disclosed.
By 5 p.m. on Thursday, West Bengal had already achieved the record-breaking polling percentage of 89.93%, an hour before the scheduled end of voting. The previous highest voter turnout was during the 2011 Assembly elections in West Bengal, marking the transition from the Left Front regime to the Trinamool Congress-led government.
In the 2011 six-phase Assembly polls, the average voter turnout was the highest in 15 years at 84.33%, a record that stood until the recent surge. At the official closing time of 6 p.m. on Thursday, around 5,000 polling stations in the 152 constituencies witnessed continuous voter queues, with some booths extending their voting hours.
Despite a generally peaceful voting day, authorities made 41 arrests for attempting to disrupt the polling process, with an additional 571 preventive arrests made before polling began. The CEO of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, attributed the high turnout to meticulous voter list scrutiny, which excluded absent, missing, shifted, and duplicate voters.
