Kolkata: West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 89.99 per cent till 5 pm in the second and final phase of Assembly elections on Wednesday, with polling held across 142 constituencies in the politically crucial southern belt of the state.
Polling began in the morning and is scheduled to continue till 6:30 pm, with voters already in queues at closing time allowed to cast their ballots. The phase covers key districts including Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly, and Purba Bardhaman — regions considered strongholds of the Trinamool Congress.
According to data from the Election Commission of India, Purba Bardhaman recorded the highest turnout at 92.46 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 90.34 per cent and Howrah at 89.44 per cent. Around 3.21 crore electors were eligible to vote in this phase.
The second phase is being closely watched as a key test for the ruling Trinamool Congress, which had secured 123 of these 142 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party had won 18 seats, while the Indian Secular Front had secured one.
High-profile contests marked the phase, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari both contesting from the Bhabanipur seat. Several senior ministers, including Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Shashi Panja and Bratya Basu, were also in the fray.
Tensions were reported from some areas during polling. In Bhabanipur, there was a brief flare-up as Banerjee and Adhikari exchanged sharp remarks in the same booth area. Sporadic incidents of violence were also reported from a few locations, though polling largely remained orderly with security personnel deployed across constituencies.
The electoral contest in this phase is crucial in determining whether the BJP can make further inroads into South Bengal or whether the Trinamool Congress retains its dominance and strengthens its bid for a fourth consecutive term. Issues such as governance, welfare delivery and corruption had dominated campaigning ahead of voting.
The first phase had witnessed strong voter participation, and the high turnout in the second phase indicates sustained voter engagement. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
