West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 have once again attracted the attention of the country. While the news of violence, bombings and clashes remained in the headlines throughout the day, on the other hand the increased participation of voters wrote a different story. Till 5 pm, about 90 percent voting was recorded in the state, which in itself is a figure close to a record.

Nearly 90 percent voting in Bengal

According to the initial trends of the Election Commission, voting usually increases by 2 to 3 percent in the last one hour. In such a situation, the question is simple whether West Bengal will be able to touch the historical figure of 95 percent voting this time? Till 5 pm, 89.93 percent voting was recorded in the state. Long queues were seen in many areas since the beginning of the day. From rural areas to urban booths, women, elderly and youth reached the polling stations in large numbers. A tragic incident like the death of a female voter at the booth in Maltipur also came to light, but despite this, the enthusiasm of the people did not diminish.

Violence took place at many places during the elections

However, this election was not completely peaceful. There were continuous reports of bomb attacks, stone pelting and clashes between political workers in Murshidabad, Nawada and other sensitive areas. At many places, central forces and police had to intervene to control the situation. These incidents also raised questions regarding the fairness and security of the elections.

An important factor in this was the SIR process. Under this process, extensive correction and updating of the voter list was carried out, due to which a large number of new voters were added and old records were corrected. Election analysts believe that SIR has a direct impact on the voting percentage. More accurate and updated voter list motivated people to vote.

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Political parties are also looking at this huge turnout in their own way. While the ruling party is considering it as a sign of its support, the opposition is calling it a wave of change. This has been an old trend in Bengal politics – the more voting, the more political interpretations.

After crossing the 78.77 percent voting mark till 3 pm, it became clear that this time there is every possibility of a record being made. By evening this figure reached 89.24 percent, which made the electoral equations more interesting.

Voting taking place on 152 seats in West Bengal

A total of 1,478 candidates are in the fray for 152 seats in West Bengal in the first phase of assembly elections. 3.60 crore voters of the state will cast their votes for these candidates. BJP is contesting on all 152 seats, while TMC is contesting on 148 seats. The first phase of voting in Bengal is more important for BJP because these are the same areas where BJP’s fort is strong. The first phase of Bengal is not only big in terms of number of seats, but it also extends from North Bengal to Jangalmahal and Matua Garh.

Also read: West Bengal Assembly Election 2026: Stone pelting in Murshidabad, BJP candidate’s head broken in Birbhum-Dinajpur, day-long ruckus in Bengal amid voting.