Voting has started on 152 seats for the first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections on Thursday (23 April 2026). Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X and wrote that the first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections is taking place today. I appeal to all citizens to participate with full force in this festival of democracy. I especially appeal to my young friends and women of West Bengal to vote in large numbers.

Apart from Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah also posted on Instagram and wrote that today is the first phase of voting in Bengal. This time Bengal elections are very important for the present as well as future of the state. Only a government with a strong leadership can liberate the state from infiltrators, syndicates and Katmani rule which is changing the demography of Bengal. Vote enthusiastically today to create a safe Bengal for the mothers and daughters of Bengal. All voters, especially the youth, today vote first to build a prosperous and developed Bengal, then have refreshments.

Also read: Assembly Polls 2026: Elections on all 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, voting for the first phase in Bengal, will Mamata-Stalin be able to save the stronghold?

How many voters are participating in the first phase?

According to the Election Commission, more than 3.60 crore voters are eligible to vote in this phase, which includes about 1.75 crore women and 465 third gender voters. A record 2,450 contingents of central paramilitary forces i.e. about 2.5 lakh soldiers have been deployed for the elections. More than 8,000 polling stations have been declared highly sensitive. The Election Commission has kept Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Birbhum and Purba Bardhaman districts under special surveillance. The first phase is politically important because it includes all the 54 seats of North Bengal. This region became the basis of BJP’s rise in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and was helpful in making it the main rival of Trinamool in the 2021 assembly elections.

How many seats did BJP win in 2021?

In 2021, BJP had won 59 out of 152 seats, while Trinamool had won 93 seats. It is important for BJP to maintain its dominance in North Bengal, so that it remains competitive in the entire state. At the same time, for Trinamool led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, it is necessary to prevent BJP from a big victory in North Bengal, so that an environment of growth can be created before the second phase. This phase is also in special focus because before this a special intensive revision of the voter list was done, in which about 91 lakh names were removed from the voter list of the state. Many veteran candidates are in the fray in the first phase. The main candidates include Leader of Opposition Subhendu Adhikari (BJP) from Nandigram, former Union Minister Nishith Pramanik (BJP) from Mathabhanga, Minister of State Udayan Guha (Trinamool) from Dinhata, Gautam Dev (Trinamool) from Siliguri and Adhir Ranjan Choudhary (Congress) from Baharampur. The second phase of voting in the state will be held on April 29 and counting of votes will take place on May 4.

Also read: Bengal Election 2026 Voting Live: If Mamata wins, Bengal will become a separate country, claims BJP leader, TMC says- vote without fear