Voter turnout in West Bengal’s Assembly election this year reached 92.47%, surpassing the previous high of 84.72% in 2011, marking the highest participation since Independence, as per the Election Commission. Women voters turned out in larger numbers compared to men, with a percentage of 92.47% against women’s 93.24%. This exceeded the 2011 turnout, where women had marked 84.45%, slightly higher than men at 84.22%.
West Bengal has consistently shown higher voter turnout than many other states. It took 15 elections before reaching the 70% mark in the 1980 Lok Sabha poll, with an overall turnout of 70.62%. In that election, men’s participation was at 72.58%, while 68.18% of women electors voted.
The total turnout in West Bengal was only 43.12% in the first Assembly election in 1951 after Independence, and 40.49% in the Parliamentary poll the same year. This increased to 55.55% and 55.75% in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections of 1962.
