West Bengal Elections 2026: The voter turnout is speaking volumes.

S econd phase voting indicates that change may be coming in West Bengal, as record voter turnout often signals a desire for change. After 15 years of Mamata (Didi)’s governance in Bengal, this record voting is being seen as a reflection of public accountability for her tenure.

West Bengal has recorded its highest-ever voter turnout. The first phase witnessed a turnout of 93.19%, while the second phase recorded 92.25%—figures valid up to 9:00 PM.

This voting pattern suggests that, this time around, the true significance of Mamata's slogan—"Khela Hobe" (The game has begun)—will become abundantly clear.

In both phases, a total of 6.81 crore people cast their votes. Looking at the overall turnout, it stands at 92.47%, whereas in 2021 it was 84.72%.

If we talk about phase-wise voters, in the first phase 3.60 crore people cast their votes, while in the second phase 3.21 crore people voted.

Men: First phase voters were 1.84 crore, and second phase voters were 1.65 crore.

Female: First phase voters were 1.76 crore, and second phase voters were 1.57 crore.

In the West Bengal elections, live broadcasting was conducted to ensure smooth and fair voting at every polling station. This live monitoring was observed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. S.S. Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi.

In this election, the Election Commission of India made special arrangements for the people of West Bengal. More than 700 companies of CRPF were deployed across both the first and second phases of voting to ensure that no intimidation or threats could be made by TMC workers.

There is a practice within the TMC of influencing voters through intimidation and threats; furthermore, in some past instances, polling stations were allegedly even captured. However, this time, the Election Commission of India has taken measures to prevent such incidents.

In this election, many reports have emerged alleging that TMC workers were involved in intimidating voters. In 24 Parganas, some people said that ‘Didi’ is afraid of losing the election, so she is using her supporters to threaten voters. It was also claimed that people were being warned about consequences after May 4 if they do not vote for TMC.

During the 15 years of Mamata’s government, it is said that the entire system was under strong control, which led to concerns about the Election Commission of India’s trust in the West Bengal administration. As a result, the entire election was conducted under the supervision and control of central agencies.

The voting has been recorded and is considered transparent. Now it remains to be seen who will prevail on May 4.