In first phase polls, Bengal records RECORD 91.83 per cent turnout; CEC Kumar hails ‘highest voter turnout since Independence’

West Bengal saw unprecedented participation of voters in the first phase of the Assembly Elections held on Thursday. According to the Election Commission of India’s provisional data, Bengal recorded 91.83 per cent of voter turnout till 5 pm. The turnout numbers are provisional and could be updated.

Following the conclusion of the voting, Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar, announced that both Tamil Nadu and West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout since India’s Independence.

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Coochbehar recorded a voter turnout of 92.07 per cent, Alipurduar 88.74 per cent, Jalpaiguri 91.2 per cent, Kalimpong 81.98 per cent, Darjeeling 86.49 per cent, Uttar Dinajpur 89.74 per cent, and Dakshin Dinajpur 93.12 per cent.

Other districts also saw strong participation of voters, with Malda recording a turnout of 56 per cent, Murshidabad 91.36 per cent, Purbo Medinipur 88.55 per cent, Paschim Medinipur 90.7 per cent, Jhargram 90.53 per cent, Purulia 87.35 per cent, Bankura 89.91 per cent, Paschim Bardhaman 86.89 per cent and Birbhum 91.55 per cent.

Contrary to the past trends of low voter turnout between 1 P.M. and 3 P.M. in the last few elections, a high voting rate continued during that time frame in the first phase of the Assembly polls in West Bengal on Thursday, with the polling percentage increasing to 78.77 at 3 P.M from 62.18 per cent till 1 P.M.

This means that during the two hours between 1 P.M. and 3 P.M. on Thursday, the percentage point increase in polling in the 152 Assembly constituencies was 16.59, which the poll observers feel is quite unusual, especially because of the scorching summer heat and humidity in West Bengal during that period.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the average polling percentage in the seven phases of polls in West Bengal was 63.92 per cent.

The polling process will officially conclude at 6 P.M. Political observers feel that if the current trend of high polling rate continues for the remaining three hours, the final polling percentage will surely be well above 90 per cent, a figure which was never witnessed in the last few years.