Tamil Nadu, West Bengal Election 2026 Voting Highlights: Polling concludes; both states post record high voter turnout

With polling for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election concluding on Thursday evening, the election commission officials shifted the sealed EVMs, VVPATs and other poll material to the strong rooms of the designated counting centres across the state. The EVMs were transported with heavy police and armed forces protection to 62 counting centres where the counting for all the 234 Assembly constituencies will take place on May 4.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday said the voter turnout of 91.78 per cent so far in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly polls was the state's highest-ever percentage since Independence.

Polling in 16 districts began at 7 am on Thursday amid tight security to decide the electoral fate of 1,478 candidates, including 167 women, in 152 of the 294 assembly seats. "This is the highest-ever percentage in West Bengal since Independence," Kumar said.

The second phase of polling will be held on April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 4.

Tamil Nadu surpassed its highest assembly polls turnout on Thursday, when over 84 per cent of the 5.73 crore voters cast their vote for the elections to 234 constituencies across the state. Till 6 pm, the state recorded 84.29 per cent voting, according to Election Commission of India (EC) figures.

The state recorded its highest--78.29 per cent, in the 2011 polls that the AIADMK swept. Incidentally, through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the electorate size has been reduced from 6.41 crore recorded in October 2025 to the current 5.73 crore.

Consequently, the 2021 polls saw about 6.29 crore people registered, 56 lakh voters more than this year.

On Thursday, Karur district topped with 91.86 per cent voter turnout. Chennai registered 83.09 per cent polling, while in Madurai it was 80.15 per cent, Coimbatore saw 84.40 per cent and the centrally located Tiruchirappalli district witnessed 85.04 percent polling.

Kolathur Assembly constituency in Chennai, where DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin is contesting, saw 85.63 polling till 6 pm.

Following reports of a record high voter turnout of 84.29 in the state of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, the DMK has dismissed reports of an unusual surge in voting percentages in the ongoing elections, terming the trends an "accurate reflection" of the electorate following the removal of dead and shifted voters from the rolls.

"Going by established historical trends, the party expects the total number of votes polled in this cycle to reach approximately 5 crore," said DMK spokesperson Saravana Annadurai. Annadurai pointed to a consistent historical growth in the state's voting population to support his claim that the current numbers are not unusual.

He noted that the number of polled votes has risen steadily from 2.80 crore in 2001 to 4.58 crore in 2021, with an average increase of 30 to 40 lakh voters every five years. Saravanan attributed the high percentage to the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiatives and the cleanup of electoral registries, which ensures a more precise calculation of the actual votes polled.

Tamil Nadu on Thursday recorded its highest-ever voter turnout in Assembly elections, with over 84% of the state’s 5.73 crore electorate casting their votes across 234 constituencies.

According to the Election Commission of India, polling stood at 84.29% as of 6 pm.

Raghunathganj Assembly constituency recorded the highest voter turnout in West Bengal, with 95.64% polling reported till 5 pm. Polling concluded across 152 Assembly constituencies in the state, with an overall turnout of 89.93% recorded till 5 pm.

Polling across all 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu concluded, with voters who were in queues at closing time permitted to cast their ballots.

The state recorded a strong turnout, with over 80% of its 5.73 crore electorate participating in the polls. By 5 pm, voter turnout had reached 82.24%, according to PTI. It is one of the highest participation levels in the state’s Assembly election history.

Voting in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, covering 152 constituencies, concluded at 6 pm on Thursday. Officials said voters who had reached polling stations before the scheduled closing time were allowed to cast their ballots.

Nearly 90% of the state’s 3.60 crore electors had voted till 5 pm, marking one of the highest turnouts in West Bengal’s recent electoral history.

Polling began at 7 am across 16 districts under tight security arrangements, with the electoral fate of 1,478 candidates — including 167 women — being decided in this phase of the 294-member Assembly.

Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said early trends from the first phase of Assembly polling suggest that the All India Trinamool Congress is already in a strong position to secure victory.

Addressing a rally in Kolkata’s Bow Bazar area, the TMC supremo also asserted that after winning the state elections, she would take along opposition parties to challenge the Centre in Delhi.

Meanwhile, voter participation remained high, with 89.93% turnout recorded till 5 pm as polling continued across 152 of the state’s 294 Assembly constituencies. The next phase of voting is scheduled for April 29, while counting of votes will take place on May 4.

While West Bengal recorded over 89% voter turnout till 5 pm, here is the turnout recorded in contituencies:

Alipurduar: 88.74%

Bankura: 89.91%

Birbhum: 91.55%

Cooch Behar: 92.07%

South Dinajpur: 93.12%

Darjeeling: 86.49%

Jalpaiguri: 91.20%

Jhargram: 90.53%

Kalimpong: 81.98%

Malda: 89.56%

Murshidabad: 91.36%

West Burdwan: 86.89%

West Midnapore: 90.70%

East Midnapore: 88.55%

Purulia: 87.35%

North Dinajpur: 89.74%

Election Commission of India said Tamil Nadu recorded a voter turnout of 82.24% till 5 pm, while West Bengal logged over 89% polling during the same period.

Special Electoral Roll Observer Subrata Gupta told ANI, "...We are taking action on every complaint. We are taking action on all the complaints that have come in... Regarding statutory violations, complaints related to EVMs, we have instructed the presiding officers and returning officers to take action. In the case of law and order issues, we have immediately contacted the CAPF's QRT. I have requested an investigation report, and based on that, we will take action."

Residents of Muthalaimedu Thittu in Kollidam have announced a boycott of the ongoing elections, citing the continued absence of basic civic amenities such as proper roads and access to drinking water.

The protest took a visible turn as villagers put up black flags across the area, signalling their discontent. Locals alleged that despite repeated complaints, no government officials had initiated dialogue or taken concrete steps to address their concerns, prompting the decision to stay away from voting.

Actor-turned-politician and TVK chief Vijay urged the Election Commission of India to extend polling hours by two hours, till 8 pm.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Vijay also called for the deployment of emergency public transport services to help voters reach polling stations. He cited reports of long queues and slow voting processes at several booths, warning that such delays could discourage participation and impact voter turnout. He further recommended appointing supervisory officers to regularly monitor polling stations and ensure smooth and efficient voting.

In a staunch protest against consistent political practices, villagers of Kulathuvaipatti and Kumaragiri of Ettayapuram that comes under Vilathikulam constituency, have sworn to not participate in the ongoing TN assembly elections until their "pathway dispute" is resolved.

What's the pathway dispute about?

As per a PTI report, these villagers have been fighting with the residents of a Sri Lankan refugee camp in the area over public access to the pathway that cuts across the camp to the agricultural lands for many years.

The tension reportedly reached a breaking point on April 18, when a stone-pelting clash left the community scarred and the path further obstructed. Now, frustrated after a decade of black flag protests, hunger strikes, and sieges at the Tehsildar's office, the villagers have decided to boycott the 2026 Assembly election, until "a solution is found".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a gathering at the South 24 Pargana district on Thursday, said that May 4, when votes will be counted, would mark the "expiry" of the "TMC's 15-year-old syndicate system and maha jungle raj" in West Bengal.

Booth level officers are verifying the identities of the burqa-clad women before allowing them to cast vote in West Bengal. "Burqa-clad women are cooperating with us...We are verifying from their ID cards," Deepa Kumari Sarki, who is a booth-level officer, said.

Mobile deposit counters have been set up across polling stations in Vellore, allowing voters to safely store their phones before entering the booth.

The state of West Bengal records 78.77% voter turnout amid violence; Tamil Nadu posts 70% till 3 pm as per data shared by the election commission of India.

"After poll results come out, no one will be able to infiltrate Bengal; illegal immigrants already here will be pushed out by BJP," Amit Shah told media reporters recently.

As per the latest figures provided by the Election Commission of India, the state of Tamil Nadu recorded completion of 70% polling activity till 3 pm on April 23.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the BJP war room at the party's Salt Lake office in Kolkata.

The rear window of BJP leader Agnimitra Paul’s car was shattered in an alleged stone-pelting incident. She said, “A stone was thrown at my moving vehicle as we were exiting a polling booth in Rahmat Nagar, Asansol. It is clear who is behind this. This is an attempt to influence the election. We have lodged a complaint.”

At Government Arts College, a robot whose voice processing and RC control model was developed by a student of the same college, greets voters and offers them sweets. A student, Vimal Vijayan, said, "Today is election day for Tamil Nadu. So, we are promoting 100% voting through this robot. People are giving great response to this. The team developed the robot's voice processing and RC control model. The robot is giving a message - stand in queue and how to cast vote. I am passionate about electronics and engineering, robotics technology. Two such robots have been displayed."

On voting in Tamil Nadu elections, District Election Officer Manish says, "Polling has started from 7:00 am and it will continue till 6:00 pm. We are expecting very good turnout. We have 8 model polling stations manned by women polling officials. We have made 'green' polling stations also. At all polling stations there is facility of wheelchairs and volunteers and also to and from transportation facility for voters with disabilities. Our first time voters must vote. To welcome new voters, we have kept gifts or sweets for first time voters."

Chief Minister MK Stalin's daughter Senthamarai Stalin and son-in-law Sabarisan cast their votes at a polling station in Chennai. CM Stalin's son-in-law Sabarisan says, "We have voted with confidence for Tamil Nadu's self respect, growth and future. We are very confident."

BJP candidate from Kharagpur Sadar Assembly constituency, Dilip Ghosh, says, "The thing is that in the two-and-a-half-hour voting that took place, Pradeep Sarkar got a whiff that they have already lost. These people (TMC) have fought with SIR, the Election Commission, central forces, the Supreme Court, and now they are fighting over party flags and banners. These people have lost the entire battle. There is a BJP wave everywhere."

TMC candidate from Kharagpur Sadar, Pradeep Sarkar, says, "I was shocked to see that our posters have been removed from here. BJP flags have been put up even outside places where polling is going on. How can this be? The central forces said there will be peaceful voting, but what is happening?"

The Election Commission of India has said that Chennai recorded a polling percentage of 54.58 per cent in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections by 1 pm on polling day. The figure reflects strong mid‑day voter turnout in the state capital as the state votes across all 234 constituencies amid high‑stakes contest between the ruling DMK‑led alliance and the opposition AIADMK‑led bloc.

West Bengal recorded a 62.18 per cent voter turnout by 1:00 pm in the first phase of the Assembly elections, with Paschim Medinipur district leading at 65.77 per cent, according to the Election Commission. The figures cover the 152 constituencies polling across 16 districts and reflect strong mid‑day participation, higher than the 41.11 per cent turnout logged by 11:00 am earlier in the day.