West Bengal recorded a high voter turnout of 89.93 per cent till 5pm on Thursday in the first phase of assembly elections, according to the Election Commission of India.
Polling was held across 152 of the state’s 294 constituencies, spanning 16 districts. Voting began at 7 am and continued until 6 pm.
The strong participation reflects significant voter engagement in both states, with several districts in West Bengal already crossing the 80 per cent mark well before the close of polling at 6 pm.
The second phase of polling is scheduled for 29 April, while vote counting will take place on 4 May, NDTV reports.
The election comes amid heightened political tensions between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), against the backdrop of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The exercise reportedly led to the removal of 60-90 lakh names, reducing the voter base from 7.66 crore to 7.04 crore.
Incidents of violence were reported from parts of Murshidabad, where a crude bomb was hurled in Nowda area earlier in the day, injuring several people.
The incident triggered clashes between TMC and workers of Humayun Kabir’s AJUP.
Party leader Humayun Kabir was also seen engaging in confrontation with TMC supporters in a video from the area, Hindustan Times reports.
Following the blast, Kabir visited the site, which further escalated tensions between political workers and police. Security personnel were deployed to bring the situation under control, with authorities using a mild baton charge to disperse crowds. Police, however, said the situation did not spiral out of control.
Separately, reports of EVM malfunctions were also received from a few polling stations.
Political campaigning had intensified in the final 48 hours before voting, with both TMC and BJP holding rallies and trading sharp accusations.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking at a rally in Dum Dum, accused the ruling party of using “infiltrators as a vote bank.”
In response, senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee alleged that Shah disrespected women by referring to the Chief Minister as “Ae didi.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also urged high voter participation, particularly among women and youth, as polling began across the state.
Earlier, BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari, who contested from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, cast his vote in Nandigram, claiming that Mamata Banerjee would struggle to win if “dead and fake voters” were removed from the rolls.
