The high-stakes second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded today. Polling in Phase 2 took place across 142 constituencies amid tight security and intense campaigning by the ruling All India Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Many of these seats are considered strongholds of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, though the BJP mounted an aggressive push to make inroads. Key districts including Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman saw brisk voting through the day.
The first phase, held on April 23 across 152 constituencies, recorded a historic turnout of over 91–93%, with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar calling it the highest since Independence. The strong participation, despite sporadic incidents and controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has set the tone for a closely contested election.
Across other states, voter turnout has also been notably high. Tamil Nadu recorded over 84–85% voting in its single-phase election for 234 seats, with the main contest between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Assam saw a strong turnout of around 85.9% across its 126 seats, while Kerala recorded approximately 75–78% polling in a competitive multi-front contest. Puducherry registered a record 89.87% turnout, the highest since its first Assembly election in 1964.
Overall, the high voter participation across states reflects strong electoral engagement and has raised the stakes for the final outcome. With exit polls expected to offer early trends, the final results on May 4 will determine the political direction in these key states.