New Delhi, April 29: The Election Commission has expressed delight over the record voter turnout in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, which concluded recently. For the first time since independence, a remarkable 91.66% voter turnout was recorded by 7:45 PM, surpassing the previous record held by Tripura, where 91.82% voting was noted in 2013.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar congratulated the people of West Bengal for this achievement. The CEO office reported that Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. S.S. Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, monitored the voting process through live webcasting, ensuring oversight at all polling stations in West Bengal for the second phase.
In terms of voter numbers, approximately 36 million participated in the first phase, while around 32 million voted in the second phase. Male voters accounted for 18.4 million in the first phase and 16.5 million in the second phase, while female voters contributed 17.6 million and 15.7 million, respectively. Data from 5,343 polling stations in West Bengal has yet to be updated, indicating that the turnout percentage may rise.
Voting for the second phase began at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, and by 7:45 PM, the turnout reached 91.66%, with male participation at 91.07%, female at 92.8%, and third-gender voters at 91.28%. However, these figures may change. The first phase had a turnout of 93.19%, leading to a combined turnout of 92.47% for both phases. Previously, the highest turnout in West Bengal was recorded at 84.72% during the 2011 Assembly elections.
Historically, voter turnout in past elections has varied significantly, with figures from 1951 showing 43.12% for the Assembly elections and 40.49% for the Lok Sabha elections. Over the years, turnout percentages have fluctuated, reflecting changing voter engagement in the democratic process.