Phase 1 in West Bengal records 92% turnout; Tamil Nadu hits 85% as Assembly polls see record voting

Tamil Nadu and 152 constituencies in West Bengal recorded historic voter turnout on Thursday in largely peaceful Assembly elections, even as large-scale deletions from electoral rolls sparked political debate and competing victory claims.

In Tamil Nadu, polling across all 234 seats touched 85.11% by late evening—translating to roughly 48.8 million voters, the highest in the state’s history, according to the Election Commission of India. This came despite the removal of about 11.6% of voters during roll revisions, easing concerns that turnout might dip.

The figure also surpasses the 43.4 million votes cast in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Constituencies such as Veerapandi recorded over 93% turnout, while Palayamkottai saw the lowest at around 69%.

West Bengal’s Phase 1—covering 152 seats—also saw record participation, with turnout reaching about 92.35%, amounting to roughly 33.2 million voters. Despite nearly 10% deletions in these constituencies, turnout remained higher than in the 2024 general elections. Murarai topped the charts at nearly 97%, while Mekhliganj recorded the lowest at just over 82%.

Women voters outnumbered men in both states. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar hailed it as the highest polling percentage since Independence in both regions.

While sporadic clashes and allegations of intimidation were reported in parts of West Bengal—including Murshidabad, Cooch Behar and Dakshin Dinajpur—officials said voting was largely peaceful, with no major injuries. Over 1,000 complaints were logged by afternoon.

Politically, both sides claimed momentum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the high turnout reflected a desire for change and predicted a win for the BJP. Hours later, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee argued that the surge in voting indicated support for her party, framing it as a fight to protect democratic rights.

In Tamil Nadu, the contest remains primarily between the DMK-led alliance and the AIADMK-led NDA, with the BJP contesting 27 seats. Actor-politician C Joseph Vijay is also seeking to emerge as a third force.

Several prominent figures cast their votes, including Chief Minister M K Stalin, his deputy Udhayanidhi Stalin, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, and BJP’s K Annamalai. Film stars such as Ajith Kumar, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Dhanush and Vikram also turned up to vote.

Overall, despite political tensions and concerns over voter roll revisions, the elections saw strong participation, signaling high voter engagement across both states.