The 2026 West Bengal Assembly election has recorded around 92% voter turnout in its first phase, which the Election Commission calls the highest polling percentage in the state’s history since Independence.
Bengal’s historic turnout
- For the 152‑constituency Phase 1, official figures put turnout at about 91.78–92.9%, surpassing the previous record of roughly 84.7% in 2021 by more than 7 percentage points.
- Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that West Bengal and Tamil Nadu together posted the highest voter‑participation percentages nationwide, with Bengal’s turnout “highest ever” since 1947.
How Tamil Nadu compared
- Tamil Nadu, which voted in a single‑day, full‑state round, posted around 84–85% turnout—also very high, but second to Bengal’s 2026 figure.
- Earlier in the day, EC‑linked reports had Bengal near 78–79% by 3 pm and Tamil Nadu at roughly 70%, underscoring how queues surged in the final hours to push Bengal’s figure into record territory.
This scale of turnout is being read by analysts as a sign of intense competition and heightened political awareness, especially in Bengal where the voters’ list underwent a major Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that removed about 91 lakh names ahead of the poll.
