Bengal polls: 78.6% voter turnout till 3 pm in second phase

Voting for the second and final phase of the Assembly elections in West Bengal was underway on Wednesday amid tight security.

Polling in 142 of the state’s 294 constituencies began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

As of 3 pm, a voter turnout of 78.6% had been recorded, according to the Election Commission.

The first phase of polling, which covered 152 seats, was held on April 23 and a record turnout of 93.2% was reported.

The votes will be counted on Monday, along with those in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.

In West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has been in power since 2011. The main Opposition in the state over the years has shifted from the Left parties to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In the 2021 polls, the BJP managed to win 77 seats in the 294-member Assembly. The Trinamool Congress had won 215. A party or an alliance needs 148 seats for a majority. The other alliance comprising the Left, the Congress and some smaller parties, despite securing a 10% vote share, had won just one seat.

Read Scroll’s coverage of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections here.

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