Voter participation in West Bengal’s second phase reached a staggering 89.99 per cent by 5 pm on Wednesday, comfortably surpassing the 80.4 per cent seen across these same 142 seats during the 2021 Assembly elections. Election officials expect the final figure to climb even higher, as those already in queues by the 6 pm cut-off are permitted to vote. Some analysts now believe the final tally could rival the historic 93.19 per cent turnout recorded during the first phase of this election cycle.
Leading the charge in participation, the Ausgram constituency in Purba Bardhaman reported a turnout of 94.06 per cent, with Habra in North 24 Parganas following closely at 93 per cent. Meanwhile, Bhabanipur — the high-profile seat contested by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — saw 85.51 per cent of its electorate turn out by late afternoon. On a district-wide level, Purba Bardhaman topped the charts at 92.46 per cent, while Kolkata North recorded a solid 87.77 per cent.
The day’s proceedings followed a familiar rhythm for Bengal: long, winding queues under the sun, occasional scuffles on the streets, and a relentless war of words between the main political rivals. The central tension remains whether this surge in voting reflects a desire for change driven by anti-incumbency, or a consolidated effort to keep the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in power at Nabanna. In 2021, the TMC was almost untouchable in this specific belt, winning 123 of the 142 seats, leaving the BJP with 18 and the ISF with a solitary seat.
The atmosphere grew particularly heated in Bhabanipur earlier in the day when Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Suvendu Adhikari crossed paths, trading sharp remarks in the same polling vicinity. The TMC has interpreted the high turnout as a validation of its welfare schemes and the Chief Minister’s enduring popularity in South Bengal. However, the party has also hit out at the BJP, accusing it of attempting to manipulate the result through the use of central forces and election officials. Banerjee herself questioned whether the state was being treated as if it were under "goonda raj," alleging that CRPF personnel had intimidated TMC workers the previous night.
Also read: 'Trinamool will return with two-third majority': Mamata
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