TMC 2.0 is born, but will it find a place in the Sun?
It's official now, the Trinamul Congress (TMC) party has split, with the majority of 59 out of 80 MLAs opting out of the party founded and led by Mamata Banerjee.
Voting in West Bengal’s high-stakes second phase began with both enthusiasm and tension on Wednesday, as key leaders stepped out to cast their ballots and political sparring intensified across states.
Chandrima Bhattacharya, a senior minister in West Bengal and Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from Dum Dum Uttar, cast her vote early in the day at polling booth number 126 located in Dakshin Calcutta Arya Vidyalaya in Kolkata.
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After voting, she spoke briefly to people gathered outside and raised concerns about the voting process. According to her, the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at the booth had malfunctioned, which slowed down the pace of voting. She said she had completed her democratic duty but pointed out that technical issues were affecting voters at the booth.
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Bhattacharya is not new to this constituency. She has already served as an MLA from Dum Dum Uttar twice. In the previous Assembly election, she won the seat by a margin of 28,499 votes, which was around 13.5 per cent, defeating BJP candidate Archana Majumdar. This time, she is facing a three-cornered contest against BJP’s Sourav Sikdar and CPI(M)’s Dipsita Dhar.
#WATCH | Kolkata | West Bengal Minister and TMC candidate from Dum Dum Uttar Assembly constituency, Chandrima Bhattacharya says, “I have exercised my democratic right today. The EVM had malfunctioned here. Hence, voting is taking place at a slower pace now.” pic.twitter.com/HwylOzRGGc
— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2026
High-voltage contest across 142 seats in Phase 2
The second phase of polling is being closely watched, as it covers 142 out of the total 294 Assembly seats in the state. This phase is crucial as it includes areas in South Bengal and Kolkat. These are strongholds of TMC.
Massive electorate of around 3.21 crore voters is eligible to vote in this phase. This includes over 1.64 crore men, more than 1.57 crore women, 792 transgender voters.
The scale of the election is large, with 1,448 candidates contesting, including 220 women. Voting is taking place across 41,001 polling stations, and notably, more than 8,000 of these booths are being managed entirely by women staff.
Among all constituencies, special attention is on key urban seats often called the “Big Five.” These include areas like Bhabanipur and Tollyganj. Tollyganj, known as hub of Bengali film industry, is witnessing high-profile and star-studded contest.
In the 2021 elections, TMC performed strongly in this belt. They won 123 out of 142 seats. For BJP, this phase is important to expand in urban voters. For the TMC, the focus is on retaining dominance and moving closer to securing a fourth consecutive term for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
BJP leaders express confidence, attack TMC rule
From outside the state, BJP leaders expressed strong confidence about their party’s chances. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that what he described as “mafia raj” in West Bengal is nearing its end. He compared it to political changes in other states, claiming that similar regimes had already been removed elsewhere.
Another Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, Brajesh Pathak, also spoke about the ongoing voting. He said the BJP is moving towards a big victory and urged voters to come out in large numbers. According to him, people are supporting the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and voting beyond caste, religion, or community lines.
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