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Bengal Sets Record with 92.88% Voter Turnout in First Phase Polls

The Election Commission recorded 92.88% voter turnout in the first phase of West Bengal assembly polls, a record high for the state. The previous record of 84.33% was set in 2011 when the Left Front regime ended. Polling continued late at 5,000 booths due to long queues of voters. A total of 41 arrests were made for disruptions, with 571 preventive arrests before polling day.

Key Points: Bengal 1st Phase Polls Hit Record 92.88% Turnout

  • Record 92.88% polling in first phase of West Bengal assembly elections
  • Previous record of 84.33% in 2011 elections was broken
  • Polling continued late at 5,000 booths due to long queues
  • 41 arrests made for disruptions, 571 preventive arrests before polls
2 min read

Bengal 1st phase polls: ECI's latest tabulation shows 92.88 pc polling

West Bengal's first phase assembly polls saw a record 92.88% voter turnout, surpassing the 2011 record of 84.33%. Polling continued late at 5,000 booths.

"The record polling percentage in the electoral history of West Bengal was achieved at 5 p.m. on Thursday - Election Commission of India"

Kolkata, April 24

The Election Commission of India's tabulation till Thursday midnight showed that the voting in the first phase of Assembly polls for 152 constituencies in West Bengal reached 92.88 per cent, a record high in the state's electoral history.

However, this figure, 92.88 per cent of polling, is not the final figure since the final tabulation is yet to be arrived at, confirmed an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal. He also said that once the final tabulation ends, the final and updated figure of the polling percentage, which could be higher, will be announced.

In fact, the record polling percentage in the electoral history of West Bengal was achieved at 5 p.m. on Thursday, an hour before the official time of conclusion of the polling process. The polling percentage figure was 89.93 at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

The previous record of polling percentage was in the 2011 West Bengal Assembly elections, the year which marked the end of the previous 34-year Left Front regime in the state and the beginning of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress regime.

In the six-phase 2011 West Bengal Assembly polls, the average polling percentage was the highest in 15 years at 84.33 per cent, a record till it was broken on Thursday.

According to the CEO of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, at the time of official completion of polling at 6 p.m. on Thursday, there were at least 5,000 polling booths in these 152 Assembly constituencies, where queues of voters continued. In those booths, the polling process continued till late evening.

In an overall peaceful polling on Thursday, a total of 41 arrests were made for attempts to disrupt the polling process. The total number of preventive arrests before the beginning of the polls on Thursday was 571.

According to Agrwal, one major reason behind the high polling percentage was that the polling was conducted after the deduction of absent, missing, shifted and duplicate voters from the voters' list.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Ritika R
Breaking the 2011 record is no small feat! But let's not forget that higher turnout doesn't always mean cleaner elections. With 41 arrests for disruption and 571 preventive arrests, it's clear tensions were high. The ECI must investigate any reports of coercion or bogus voting. Democracy is about quality, not just quantity.
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Arjun K
Well done Bengal! This is a clear message that people are fed up with the current government and want change. But wait... the 2011 record was also broken during a change in regime. Let's see if history repeats itself or if Mamata Banerjee manages to retain power. The high turnout could go either way.
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Nisha Z
I'm skeptical about these numbers. In many areas, people reported being turned away because their names were missing from the list despite having voter IDs. 😡 The deduction of 'absent, missing, shifted and duplicate voters' might have disenfranchised genuine voters. The ECI needs to be transparent about how they arrived at this 92.88% figure and verify it booth-wise.
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Pooja D
A record 92.88% polling and relatively peaceful conduct is commendable. The ECI and security forces deserve credit for managing such a massive exercise. However, I'm concerned about the 5,000 booths where queues continued past 6 PM. Were all those voters able to cast their ballots? The final figure might be even higher but only if every person in line was allowed to vote.
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Rahul R
Chaar saal mein ek baar yeh dekhna (Once in five years we get to see this)! Bengalis are known

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