ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS: BENGAL VOTER TURNOUT CROSSES 62%, TN NEARS 57% BY 1 PM

New Delhi, Apr 23, 2026 : West Bengal and Tamil Nadu recorded strong voter turnout in Assembly elections on Thursday, with participation reaching 62.18 per cent and 56.81 per cent respectively by 1 pm, according to the Election Commission of India.

In West Bengal, Paschim Medinipur recorded the highest turnout at 65.77 per cent, followed by Jhargram at 65.31 per cent and Bankura at 64.58 per cent. The lowest turnout was recorded in Malda at 58.45 per cent.

In Tamil Nadu, Tiruppur district recorded the highest turnout at 62.97 per cent, followed by Namakkal at 62.51 per cent and Erode at 61.97 per cent. Chennai registered a turnout of 54.58 per cent, Coimbatore 58.24 per cent and Madurai 54.75 per cent, while the Nilgiris recorded the lowest turnout at 50.42 per cent.

Polling for 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu and 152 constituencies in West Bengal began amid tight security on Thursday morning. Voting will continue until 6:00 pm.

In West Bengal, polling is being conducted in two phases, with the second phase scheduled for April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 4.

Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said the state has an electorate of over 5.73 crore voters, including 2,93,04,905 women, 2,80,30,658 men, and 7,728 third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 14,59,039 first-time voters and 68,501 service voters. A total of 4,18,541 postal votes have already been received, and 62 counting centres have been set up.

The main contest in Tamil Nadu is between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, comprising the BJP and PMK.

In West Bengal, elections are being held for 294 Assembly seats. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the first phase covers 152 constituencies, while the remaining 142 will go to polls in the second phase. A total of 1,478 candidates are in the fray in this phase.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seeking a fourth consecutive term, while the BJP, which won 77 seats in the previous election, is aiming to form the government in the state.